Warrior Princess
by megamatt09
Summary: Obvious AU. Lord Voldemort fell on Halloween night. The Girl-Who-Lived was going to be sent to her last remaining blood relatives. Turns out there were others who disagreed with Dumbledore's plans. Fem!Harry/Multi, Yuri. Slow updates.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue: **

* * *

The magical users of Britain celebrated the end of Lord Voldemort, even though very few dared speak his name. It was a cause of celebration from around Wizarding Britain, even if the rest of the magical communities around the world just regarded it as a minor point of innocence, another self-proclaimed dark lord who had been defeated. Many other magical countries around the world had their own problems, and their own dark lords. Some of them just as foul as Voldemort and some of them were even more so.

It was a cause for celebration and many had partied.

They had been blissfully ignorant to the tragedy that had occurred, the lives had been lost. Albus Dumbledore had known all too well about loss all of his life. Most of it had been because of his own foolish mistakes.

Dumbledore hoped to rebuild the world into something better, but the world had fought him. There were some people like Tom Marvolo Riddle, better known as Lord Voldemort, who just sought to see the world burned.

He thought back to the prophecy that was given that foretold the potential demise of the Dark Lord. Dumbledore thought of prophecy as a curious, curious thing. It was a heated topic of debate, how much magical weight should be given to prophecies. There were hundreds of prophecies that had gone unfulfilled, mostly because no one knew about it.

It returned him to the age old riddle. If a tree fell in the forest and no one was around, did it ever make a sound? Dumbledore did wonder tonight and many other nights.

Two families were the potential benefactors of the prophecy. The Potters and the Longbottoms, both had children that were born when the seventh month died and to those who had thrice defied the Dark Lord. There were very few that even had a chance to defy the Dark Lord three times and live to tell the tale.

Dumbledore had to make a quick decision. Voldemort decided to strike at the Longbottoms first. Frank and Alice Longbottom were gifted magical users and able Aurors. Dumbledore would also consider them valued members of his Order of the Phoenix. Against someone like Tom though, they were woefully out of their debt.

Voldemort turned his fabled killing curse on their son Neville.

Neville Longbottom was dead. Neville Longbottom was not the chosen one.

When Dumbledore heard of the demise of the Longbottoms, he had thought that perhaps the prophecy might have been a mistake. People had misread prophecy before after all.

'_Things often have a double meaning,' _Dumbledore thought to himself, frowning extremely deeply.

The Potters was next on the list. There was one reason that Voldemort went after the Longbottoms first. He figured that since they had a son, he could be a potential threat, an equal.

Voldemort, like some many wizards before him, had been blinded by the potential of the fairer gender.

It was not young Alexandra Audrey Potter's power that Voldemort might have been blinded for. It was the resourcefulness and the cunning of Lily Evans-Potter that managed to save her daughter from the killing curse. It was magic beyond all understanding and Lily's sacrifice for her flesh and blood had sealed the charm.

Lily was a prodigy in charms and even Dumbledore was amazed with how much she was.

Alexandra Audrey Potter, the only person to survive the Killing Curse after it struck her since it was invented hundreds of years ago.

Exactly how would remain a subject of debate. Dumbledore had the young female extracted from the debris. Despite the fact that she was hit by the deadliest curse known to magical kind, she was in perfectly good health and right ready to be transited to her relatives, Vernon and Petunia Dursley.

If Dumbledore had interpreted the magic correctly, Alexandra would have been perfectly safe in any place where her blood resided. Petunia would be the most obvious option.

There was just one niggling detail and that was the fact that Petunia and Lily had a bit of a caustic relationship with each other, to put things bluntly. It was due to Petunia's envy that Lily was gifted. Dumbledore sensed a low amount of self-esteem.

He would have to remind Petunia that is necessary to keep a watch over Alexandra. There were things that were far more important than her own comfort in watching a girl who might as well be Lily's double in every way grow up.

'_The sacrifices we must make to protect those who we care about the most,' _Dumbledore thought.

He heard the whispers that he didn't have it any more and that he should step down. While Voldemort still feared him, there was only so much that Dumbledore could do and Tom's power was getting dangerously close to outstripping his own. Especially when one regarded the number of steps he took to increase his base of power.

Dumbledore longed for retirement, but he could not step down, unless someone was willing to step up in his place. The problem was that there were very few people who wished to take on the sheer number of responsibilities.

He got a message that Arabella was in position. The squib owed him a favor and they were able to work some magic to get her into the empty lot that was across from Number Four Privet Drive. The previous occupants of the home would not be a problem anymore.

He walked outside of his office door and could hear the whispers of the students in Hogwarts. Gossip was able to spread faster than wildfire at Hogwarts.

It was time to put their chosen savior in position and send her to a place where she could grow up. She might not be the happiest girl in the world when she discovered that she had been put there.

It would give her perspective on how the world might not be fair. That was a lesson that Dumbledore learned several times in the past.

'_It's time,' _he thought.

* * *

Alexandra Audrey Potter was declared the Girl-Who-Lived. Despite the fact that it should have been only known by a handful of people, the gossip had spread like wildfire throughout the magical world by lunchtime.

He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was dead and it was time for a celebration. It was time for everyone to live again.

Minerva McGonagall found herself cursing the fact that Albus Dumbledore was somehow able to talk her into things that were of her best interest. She had spent the entire day sitting on a garden wall, disguised as a cat, and observing some of the worst examples of Muggles imaginable.

She knew all too well that not all Muggles were that way. She must have met with the parents of a dozen new Muggleborns every single year at least before they went into Hogwarts and she had been doing that for several years.

These Muggles on the other hand, the less time Minerva had to spend in the neighborhood, the better. It was getting rather close to nightfall and the person she was meeting with was very late.

'_Punctual, aren't we, Albus?' _Minerva thought to herself. She shook her head.

She had been as a bloody cat for so long that the mouse that was dancing in front of her face had been quite appealing.

Sure enough, she didn't have to wait much longer, which was a relief because she thought that she would die waiting. Albus Dumbledore showed up, in all of his glory.

"Fancy seeing you Professor McGonagall."

Minerva only didn't roll her eyes because it looked undignified. He fancied himself as a comedian of some sort. Minerva hoped that he would forgive her that she didn't laugh. She transformed herself from a cat into a human.

"I have to say, Minerva, I didn't ever see a cat sit so stiffly," Dumbledore said.

"You would sit stiffly too if you spent twelve hours sitting on a garden wall," Minerva said crossly. She gave Dumbledore one of those looks that would make one of her students melt in abject terror.

Dumbledore seemed oddly nonplussed about it.

"So, are the rumors true?" Minerva asked him.

"Rumors are a curious thing Minerva, they have the potential to mutate out of control," Dumbledore informed her.

"The Longbottoms did it…"

"Three nights ago, Lord Voldemort entered the Longbottom's home and killed them," Dumbledore said. "He tore through the enchantments on their ancestral home like they were tissue paper and killed them all."

Minerva gasped.

"And the Potters?"

"Lily and James Potter are dead as well," Dumbledore said. Minerva looked on the verge of a breakout. Four of the most promising students in the last ten years of Hogwarts were dead.

"I can't believe it, I didn't want to believe it," Minerva answered. She looked to on the verge of tears, although she was barely holding it together. "But what of…..Alexandra Potter? How did she survive?"

"I cannot say," Dumbledore said. He had his theories, but he did not want to speak of them, for he might turn out to be a fool.

Minerva frowned. She didn't know Albus Dumbledore to be completely ignorant, at least not having a theory. Whether or not that theory was wrong, that was another matter entirely. Whether or not that theory was completely was also another matter entirely.

"We may never know what allowed her to survive," Dumbledore said. He didn't want to rain on anyone's parade by saying that there were means where Voldemort survived. There were whispers, hints, that Voldemort did what very few would even dare to attention.

The ritual to perform a Horcrux was unspeakable even to some of the most dangerous dark wizards in existence. Dumbledore could hardly believe that Tom had been so far gone that he would attempt to so.

"And why are we here?" Minerva asked.

"This is Alexandra's last remaining relatives of age," Dumbledore answered her. Minerva raised her eyebrow in response. "She will be staying with them."

"Alexandra Audrey Potter, the daughter of Lily Evans-Potter, will be staying with them?" Minerva asked. She could not even fathom such a thing being possible. She looked like she swallowed something extremely sour. "She is to stay with….with these….she's to stay with them."

"I feel that it might be for the best," Dumbledore said.

"You can't be serious, you cannot have any worse examples of Muggles, these are the type of Muggles that people like the Malfoys use for their reference when they make their opinions," Minerva replied. She looked at Dumbledore, as if asking whether or not he was kidding.

"It's for the best, I'm afraid," Dumbledore said. He had interpreted Lily's charm as such and Alexandra would be the best protected here. She might not be happy, but she would be fairly protected.

Minerva was looking around, as if searching for the young woman in question. Dumbledore was only too happy to inform her what was going on. "Hagrid is bringing her."

That caused Minerva to observe Dumbledore with a stern look. Dumbledore acted like there was nothing the matter. "Are you certain that this is wise?"

"I would trust Hagrid with my life," Dumbledore said boldly.

Minerva didn't say anything. She knew that when Albus had spoken, it would be futile to tell him otherwise. She just hoped that he knew what he was doing.

"She is famous, and already people might have already know her name," Minerva said. She observed Dumbledore. "I wonder how difficult it might be to keep something like this under wraps."

"The truth has a way of getting out, at the ugliest possible time," Dumbledore answered her. "It's best to tell them now."

Minerva disagreed with making a child a spectacle, but she knew that Dumbledore had his reasons. They might not be good reasons, but they were reasons. All she could do is wait and watch. The Girl-Who-Lived would have a legacy that would put pressure on anyone when they went to Hogwarts of anywhere in the world.

Was that a roaring of some kind of motorbike? Minerva didn't know. She craned her neck and listened rather carefully for the individual that was about ready to show up and she had her mouth hanging open.

* * *

The fate of Alexandra Potter, or rather her living arrangements, were being determined by a select few in the Wizarding World that have appointed themselves as guardians of such things. There were other people that were watching the girl's situation something closely.

One thing was for certain, she had the potential to be something special. Anyone could with the right training, but she had the potential to be something even more so. It would have been so Prophecy or no Prophecy. It was just the right training that was involved.

Time had passed and Alexandra Potter was left on the steps of Number Four Privet Drive with a letter. Said letter would be found by Petunia Dursley in the morning. Despite her misgivings to the matter, she would have to take her niece in. Despite her hatred towards the gifted, she would have to take her daughter in.

Despite all of those problems, she would have to take her daughter in. Albus Dumbledore assumed a lot of things, but there was magic that was far beyond his grasp. The protection Lily Evans-Potter used was something that was once in a lifetime. It might have never been done before, and might have never been done ever again.

The girl who was being dubbed the Girl-Who-Lived was in a basket on the steps, blissfully unaware of what she was and the stories that were always being crafted about her. Unaware how special that she was.

Unaware a robed figure was presently making her way towards the driveway of Number Four Privet Drive. Long after Dumbledore had left.

The protections would only be sealed when Petunia had taken her niece, extremely grudgingly, whether it would be.

'_Albus Dumbledore leaves way too much to chance,' _the woman in the hood spoke thought to herself.

The woman walked forward. It was rare that they interfered with the comings and goings of mortals, but there were certain exceptions that they were given the option to do so. This was one of those options.

Taking strides forward, the woman approached the door step of number four privet drive, where the basket had been laid. Enchantments had been placed on it, so Alexandra did not wake or did not move.

She suspected that Dumbledore had sense regarding that much. There was no enchantment to stop her from going up to the basket and touching it. There was absolutely nothing that prevented her from removing the basket. There was nothing that prevented her from taking the basket from Number Four Privet Drive.

Countless stories had been told of saviors that had rose up to defeat a great evil. It was one of the oldest stories in the book. There was normally a prophecy that had been given. True to form, the dark force did everything in their power to prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled.

Then the prophecy was fulfilled, and the cycle continued anew. They would never know.

It was extremely late and the woman in the hood picked the basket up. Given that there were not wand wavers that descended upon her, it was obvious that he did not put any enchantment. She waited long enough for any attempt to attack her to occur.

The woman in the hood thought that she had given them an ample opportunity. It didn't matter what Dumbledore's plans were for the girl that was being dubbed the Girl-Who-Lived were. She deserved a better life after all that she lost.

The fates saw the future and it was a rare moment where they felt like they had to intervene. It only occurred once every couple thousands of years.

The woman in the hood grabbed the basket, with the letter inside. She had no idea what Dumbledore said, that was not her letter to read.

The woman pulled down her hood when she was safely off of Privet Drive with her young charge. Her black hair came down at a point on her lower back. Her blue eyes gave off a massive amount of warmth. Her outfit shifted into a toga that wrapped around her ample breasts and it parted at her thighs to show her long legs, amongst golden sandals that showcased her magnificent arches.

"Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons, please present yourself to us," one of the figures in the temple that she did.

"My dear, Hera, please forgive how impulsive I was, but when I saw the vision that you and your fellow goddesses gave me, I had no choice, but to act and act now," Hippolyta answered. She brushed her black hair out of her eyes and looked at the figures, of the six goddesses that her sisters worshipped.

Hera was the most obvious one, front and center. Aphrodite, the goddess of love, always was in a place of prominence, with beauty that shined brightly. Artemis, the goddess of the Hunt, stood, imposing as ever. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, watched over them, with a pair of eyeglasses. Hestia, the goddess of hearth and the family, waited with her family red hair, bathing in fire. Demeter, the goddess of fertility, gave her a warm smile.

"You did well, Hippolyta, the venture into man's world was something that was a calculated risk," Hera informed her. "We knew of her arrival for some time and the fates….they do not intervene often."

"What shall be written, shall be done," Athena repeated in a bland voice. This was something that the Fates told her constantly. It was gratifying to finally use their own words against them. "But, her demise could lead to everything that has ever been written being unwritten and if there is no more anything, then the Fates become obsolete."

'So, it is just a self-preservation maneuver as much as anything else," Aphrodite said. She saw the game at hand.

"Petunia Dursley has darkness in her heart, and she will not let her past hardships go," Hera said, sadly. "Her husband brings out the worst virtues of her and I pity their child most of all. Any child resulting in a union between those two will not have a very productive life. The mistreatment that Alexandra will be great, but do not think that their child will be free of any abuse at all."

"Abuse can come in many forms and the greatest forms come from those who woefully interpret it to be love," Aphrodite said. She sighed. "Albus Dumbledore is a truly broken man. No matter how much he tries to hide it behind his demeanor, he is completely broken."

"You chose me to be her guardian," Hippolyta said.

"Themyscira is the safest place for her to be, given the nature of the charm that Lily placed on her," the love goddess explained. "Dumbledore assumed that it would be a place where her blood would reside. While she technically would be safe, she would also be at her weakest. There is no guarantee that she would live to see the end of her eighteenth birthday."

"No one deserves to have such a short life," Hera concluded. "And you have two daughters already, and you have led the Amazons forward."

"Yes, I have," Hippolyta agreed with her. She couldn't help, but smile because of that. "I will be happy with taking her in."

She had one child, Diana, who was eight years old, and Donna was only three years of age. Given the nature of aging on the island, that statement might not be exact.

"I knew that you would be the one to take her in and Lily would have approved of such an arrangement," Hera said.

"It's almost as if you have spoken to Lily-Evans Potter," Hippolyta commented. That caused Hera to respond with a smile that was directed at Hippolyta.

"Do, you accept?" Hera asked.

"I believe that I have," Hippolyta said. She frowned and she could see a sinister black glow on Alexandra's forehead when she slept on. "What's this?"

"An unfortunate souvenir from her encounter with Riddle," Athena informed them. "It is called a Horcrux. It was a means for him to stay alive despite death."

"A means to cheat death," Hera explained. "There are consequences to what he did, he doesn't realize that once he dies, he will cease to be. He will not go on anywhere. It will be almost like he has never existed."

"Is that even possible?" Hippolyta asked.

"He fears death and in his method to escape it, he will just fade from existence," Hera said. "For now he floats."

"And there is a piece of him attached to Alexandra's forehead," Hippolyta said. She felt a bit nervous because of this.

"Calm yourself," Aphrodite said. "Do you not have any faith in us? That we have found a way to deal with the growth on her forehead?"

Hippolyta shook her head. She had faith in all of the goddesses that the Amazons worshipped. Aphrodite stepped forward and placed her hand on Alexandra's head.

"She is lucky not to have perished, that's how strong Lily's protection is," Aphrodite said.

"They assume that the only way to remove a Horcrux is to destroy the vessel," Athena said. She shook her head. "That shows an unfortunate lack of imagination."

Aphrodite gently placed her fingers on Alexandra's head. All she did was super charge the protection magic that Lily performed. Now that Hippolyta accepted Alexandra on the island, the protection was as it should have been.

There was a flash of light and the growth was removed from Alexandra's forehead. The dark shadow was banished into nothingness.

Alexandra's magic sought out the other like soul fragments. Like a beacon, it latched onto them.

"What's happening?" Hippolyta asked. She looked at her new surrogate daughter and she frowned seeing what was happening around her. It was magic that was both amazing and terrifying that resounded around her.

Athena watched in awe. She was always intrigued with learning new things and this excited her. She had never seen magic do anything like this in her entire life.

"I had no idea that Lily's protection would do that," Hera said excitedly. "Riddle is finished."

"Finished?" Hippolyta asked. She heard what that madman had done and she honestly couldn't be too broken up about what she saw.

"He's gone, it's over," Hera said. She couldn't say that she felt sorry about that. As a goddess, the woman thought that she would be impartial.

"I'm not sure how many of the soul containers he had, but Alexandra's magic found them all," Athena said. She was in awe, but at the same time, extremely terrified.

"That adds even more of a reason as to why we should have liberated her before Dumbledore ignorantly sealed her fate," Hera responded. "I wonder if he will notice the signs."

"Well, what's done is done, regardless," Athena said. "I'm more worried about the upheaval of the balance of power."

Demeter, who had remained silent all of this time, spoke up. "Athena, do you really have to take the negative view?"

"I'm not being pragmatic, I'm being realistic," Athena said. "I know that it was unwise to allow that evil continue to grow into someone so pure, but…..the ramifications of intervening to that level, I don't even what to know."

"Whatever the ramifications were, we'll deal with them," Hera explained. There was any of a number of actions that they could have taken, all having their own ramifications.

"Will she ever have to return to that world?" Hippolyta asked. She didn't know as a mother if she could ever condemn a child to such a world. It made some of the more extreme Amazon factions that had splintered from the group, the ones that the world used as their reference to base the Amazons, to be level headed.

"That's not something we can say with such certainty," Hera explained to the Amazon Queen. "I am confident that should she ever have to cross that minefield, you will give her the skills."

Hippolyta could not see the point now that Lord Voldemort had been dealt with. The prophecy had been fulfilled, perhaps sooner than they realized.

Divine intervention might have had its price, but it was necessary. Hippolyta knew that her fellow Amazons would want to greet their newest princess, but that would have to wait for another time.

The Queen thought tonight had been a long night. There were many things to do and she had to focus on her new charge and her new responsibility.

* * *

Eight year old Princess Diana of Themyscira had woken up fairly early and there was a crowd that was around. Her sister, three year old, Donna, was following her. She was trailing behind Diana, looking rather grumpy.

"Why is everyone doing up?" Donna asked.

"I don't know," Diana said. There was a beautiful red haired woman that was approaching the ground. Diana stood up straight and proudly. Donna rolled her eyes at her sister. "Artemis."

"Diana, your mother wishes for the two of you to be front and center," Artemis said.

"Come on, Donna," Diana said, grabbing her sister's hand, when Artemis took ahold of hers.

Donna shook her head. Her sister can be very bossy. She wasn't a baby, she was three years old and she wasn't about to run off from a group of Amazons. Mostly because her mother would eventually track her down and would not be very pleased with what she had done.

There was the Amazon Royal Guard standing proudly. Artemis, the General of the Armies, not to be confused with the goddess of the same name, was front and center, and she stood proudly. There was a young black haired girl with green eyes, and other than the eyes, she could pass off as Donna and Diana's little sister.

"What's going on?" Donna asked. Diana shushed her younger sister, even though she wanted to know herself. Donna placed her hands on her hips and stuck out her mouth in a little pout.

"I have been given a blessing by the goddesses above," Hippolyta said. She looked at the Amazons with a smile. "Last night, a child who has lost her family has been entrusted into my care. I have been given the responsibility to take her in, and I hope you welcome her into our extended family as one of our sisters. Please welcome Princess Alia of Themyscira."

Hippolyta did not know why, by the name Alia rolled off the young just right, as a shortened name from her new daughter. It might have not have been the traditional shortening of Alexandra, but Amazon culture had their own traditions.

Diana joined the Amazons in clapping and when she got nudged roughly, Donna clapped as well. The two young Princesses got on top of the stage and had gotten their first look at their sister. This was a shock to them, although given that it was the goddesses that gifted her with such great responsibility, it should be obvious that she would accept it.

Hippolyta knew that she needed to sit down with her two older daughters to explain to them the circumstances, but that could wait. It wasn't every day that the Amazons got a new princess.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **

**Harem List:  
**

**DC Girls: ****Kara Zor-El/Superwoman, Dinah Lance, Diana/Wonder Woman, Donna Troy/Wondergirl, Cassie Sandsmark/Wondergirl, Mary Marvel, Princess Koriand'r/Starfire, Cassandra Cain, Sara Lance, Nyssa Al Ghul. I'd say that there won't be more, but come on, even I don't believe that!  
**

**Harry Potter Females:** **Fleur Delacour, Gabrielle Delacour. Maybe a couple of others, but Hermione will not be anywhere near this story or even be eluded to, other than this note right here.  
**

**Goddesses: Well you read the scene above, didn't you?  
**

**Marvel: Gwen, likely. Maybe a couple of others. If Kara is my number one rule, then Gwen is my number two rule. **


	2. Ascension Ceremony

**Chapter One: Ascension Ceremony:**

* * *

A fair amount of time passed on the island ever since Alexandra Potter, who had been rechristened Princess Alia of Themscrycira, was sent to the island. Only a few years passed in the outside world since she had been brought to the island. There were many who believed that she was dead.

The twelve-year-old, nearly thirteen year old, Amazon Princess stretched out into her room. She would only be twelve until Midnight struck and then she would be thirteen. And that was in a few more hours. Tomorrow night, there would be an Ascension ceremony where she would get the armor that she earned from her training.

Alia could hardly wait. She always was an impulsive one. That worked towards her benefit at times and other times it got her way too much trouble. Regardless she mentally counted down the minutes to that moment where she was able to get her armor.

It would be a thirteenth birthday celebration worth remembering if she had her way. She would officially take the first step into growing from a child into a young woman. One might argue that she could pass for someone much older, but the Amazons matured a bit quicker than other women.

It seemed like an eternity passed leading up to this moment. Her dark hair hung down past her face. Alia closed her eyes and levitated the blocks around her. She transfigured them into numerous shapes.

"So, you couldn't sleep, could you?"

The shape transfigured into a sword and appeared in Alia's hand. She got to her feet and smiled when she noticed her sister Donna, standing in the door. Donna was fifteen years old, tall, and beautiful. The way her skin shined in the moonlight.

"No, I couldn't sleep," Alia admitted. She played with the sword in her hand and it sent a bolt of magic against a target at the wall. "It needs a little work."

"Looks like a sword to me," Donna said, tossing her hair back. She wore an elegant purple toga that felt around her amazingly tight body.

Alia tossed Donna a shield. The middle Amazon princess caught it. Alia swung the shield and cause it to clang against it. The sword crumbled.

"See where I said I need work?" Alia asked her.

"I can see your point," Donna said. "You've been training hard for the past month. I wonder if you ever sleep."

Donna walked over and placed her arm around her younger sister. It was hard to believe that this was the little girl that used to follow her and Diana around when they were younger. She grew into a beautiful young woman.

"I sleep, a few hours a night," Alia said.

Donna laughed, raising her eyebrow. "You know, people recommend eight hours of sleep a night, to fully recharge."

"Who are these people?" Alia asked her. She pulled Donna closer towards her.

Donna responded with a shrug. "I don't know, just something I heard. You know how I am when I don't get my beauty sleep."

"With you, Donna, I don't get the beauty, I get the beast," Alia said.

Donna shook her head. Her sister did have a sharp tongue. She could feel her power growing. It wasn't a full maturity, that wouldn't be until her fourteenth birthday where she would hit her second maturity. The thirteenth birthday allowed an Amazon's abilities to grow and they hit a growth spurt. They had a lot of excessive energy as well after that.

"You know, your tongue is sharp," Donna said. "You learned that from Diana, I think."

"Are you sure you haven't taken a good long look in the mirror lately, sis?" Alia asked. She made her way down the hallway connected to her room.

"Where are you going?" Donna demanded. It was really late at night.

"I want to practice one more time before the big day," Alia said. Donna looked about ready to protest. "I know what you're going to say, I practiced, and practiced, and practiced some more. I practiced so much that you think that I'm insane."

"Sister, I don't think that," Donna said. "You're obsessed, more so than Diana is. Diana is looking forward to facing you. You two are taking it too seriously."

"Like you didn't, Donna?" Alia asked her.

Donna flushed. She recalled her ceremony and the battle she had with her sister. It was an intense struggle and Donna never felt so humbled in her life. Her cheeks reddened when she remembered that moment.

"Yes, I recall it," Alia said. She lead Donna into the next room. "You were all gung ho in beating Diana, but you got taken down over and over again."

"Rub it in," Donna said. "Well, you're going to have to fight her tomorrow."

"I'm going to beat her, I have to beat her," Alia said. "And you're going to test my abilities. I know yours have improved. Are you angling for that rematch with your sister? I noticed that you have been avoiding sparring with Diana since then. Are you still sore by getting knocked on your rear?"

"I like my rear the way it is," Donna said. She realized that didn't come out as well as she planned. She looked a bit flustered.

"I know, Donna, I do too," Alia said. Donna turned around to look at the wall and looked outside.

"It's a beautiful evening, we could sneak around and explore the island like we used to," Donna said. She wanted to try and get her sister's mind off of this obsession with training. It unsettled Donna. Was she the only sane one out of this family? "You remember that, going around the island in the dead of night."

"Yes, I remember that," Alia said. "I remember sneaking around in the dead of the night and how much trouble we got into, with our mother and Artemis when they found us sneaking around."

"But those were some more innocent times," Donna protested. Alia gave her a side look. "You're not going to let me go until I agree to a sparring session with you."

"Now, you're catching on," Alia said. "Unless you're scared."

Donna stood up extremely proud and she gave her sister a look of extreme intensity. "I'm not scared of you."

"That's good, I'm glad," Alia answered. She gave Donna a grin. She switched to a look of warning. "I hope that you don't hold back, I'll be very disappointed if you hold back when you fight me."

"I don't want to disappoint you, then," Donna replied. She situated herself to the point where she would go practically face to face with her sister.

The two of them stood in the middle of the room. Donna decided to go for the first attack.

Alia blocked her attack. Donna backed off and tried to take her legs out from underneath her with a sweeping attack.

In response, Alia did a backflip and she landed on her back. Donna swung a series of punches at Alia. Alia casually dodged some of them and blocked some of the others. Donna knew that she was in for a long time.

"Remember the first time we did this?" Alia asked. Donna went for a kick and Alia blocked it. "We must have been….well you were about ten and I was eight, or something like that."

"Yes, something like that," Donna agreed. She tried not to get distracted.

The wind was knocked out of her by a blunt force attack by Alia. Alia drilled another series of rapid fire punches into Donna's chest. The wind continued to get knocked out of her.

Eventually, Donna got fed up by being knocked around. She twisted Alia's hand around her back and pushed her down onto the ground. Donna gripped her arm behind her head.

"Finally got you," Donna said.

Alia grinned despite herself. Donna really got the leverage against her, or so she thought. Her teacher told her that just because she was on top didn't mean she was always in control. "Are you really sure about that one?"

Donna couldn't believe this. She had been tricked and Alia flipped her over onto her back with a solid thud. Her back smacked against the ground and Alia climbed on top of her, pinning her down onto the ground in response.

"I can't believe this!" Donna groaned. She struggled to get out from underneath Alia, but Alia kept her pinned against the ground. The more the older princess struggled, the more leverage she applied.

"Believe it," Alia said. She straddled Donna's legs and bent down. The two of them were almost face to face. "The real question is, can I dominate Diana like this?"

Donna really wished that she didn't use the word dominate. It was putting really bad images in her head. It put all of the times that Diana dominated her in battle in an entirely new meaning and just thinking about that caused Donna's thighs to stick together.

"So?" Alia asked.

"Yeah, I think that you'll be good, really good," Donna agreed. Alia slid herself off of her. "Maybe not good enough to defeat Diana, but you're good."

Donna realized that she opened a Pandora's box when she just implied that Alia might not be good enough.

"I didn't mean that," Donna said. She looked at her sister. Blue eyes met green eyes and Donna slumped her shoulders down to her side. "Again?"

Alia gave her a predatory grin. "Yes, again."

* * *

Alia actually managed to get some sleep in between challenging Donna to those sparring sessions. The ceremony would not be for a few hours. Amazons made their way around the island, and they were going through with their usual activities. Alia got off of her lessons early. It was partially because of her birthday and also partially because she excelled at her lessons. At least that was the plan for her.

The girl waited for one of her friends to meet her. Alia made some last minute preparations for what was going to happen.

She could almost hear Donna in her head. That she was going to do fine and she wouldn't embarrass herself. Those words kept resounding in the back of her mind that she would be fine, but Alia couldn't help be a bit nervous. That was just the type of person that she was.

Alia blinked when she waited. She could see her arrive there. Her golden blonde hair flickered in the sunlight that was beating down on the island. A white toga wrapped around her budding body and a pair of sky blue eyes shined with light.

"Kara, there you are."

Kara smiled when she greeted Alia. "I thought that you went off without me."

"Never," Alia said. She greeted Kara with a smile and she practically pounced her, giving her an extremely tight hug. "So, how did your lessons go?"

"Pretty good, actually," Kara said in a chipper voice. "I mean, not all of us our prodigies…..but it's interesting to learn how to fight. And that watch that you made me helps me to control my powers."

Around a year ago, there was a disturbance outside the island. It wasn't odd for Themscrycira to have odd weather thanks to the magic around the island. Not to mention the fact there were a few powerful enemies that could kick up a storm. At first, this appeared to be one of those situations.

Alia had been caught outside during the storm, with Donna and Diana. The three of them had family bonding. The meteors started to fall from the sky. Alia didn't get hurt from them, but she could sense a strange energy coming off of them.

Then a weird piece of metal flew from the sky. It was out of this world, and that was because it was. The contents of the craft were of more interest to Alia and the others than anything. A rather wild and disoriented fourteen year old female exited from the vessel. She attacked them, thinking them to be threats. The rocks weakened her and they later found out why.

"I know that it's a hindrance to you, but given how hard it is to control your powers…." Alia started.

"It's for the best," Kara answered. She placed her hand on Alia's shoulder and drew her in closer towards her. "I'm not upset about it."

"You aren't?" Alia asked. Her expression brightened.

"It will give me a chance to learn how to fight without these powers," Kara said. She sat down on a rock where they could watch the waves slack against the ocean. Alia parked herself next to Kara. "And when that's done, I can learn how to fight with these powers."

Alia was relieved that Kara took this attitude. This was a good attitude to have. Alia was really glad that she learned how to function without her powers, before she was taught how to use them. There were still so many quirks about her magical abilities that she didn't know that she had.

One thing was for certain. Alia was willing to learn everything.

"You're going to go out there and face Diana," Kara said. She was in absolute awe and she looked at Alia with adoration. "That's amazing."

"You don't think that I have a chance of winning," Alia said.

Kara stood up straight. Alia stood up straight. Kara towered about an inch over Alia. The two of them were able to look at each other face to face. "Alia I've saw you out there, I've seen you fighting. Trust me when I say this, you're more than ready."

Alia grinned when she peered forward.

"You know, even if I go down, I should put in a good performance," Alia said.

"You're going to put in a good performance," Kara said. She dropped her voice down. "And have you figured out what was going on with your other mother?"

"Lily?" Alia asked. Kara nodded in response. Alia slumped her shoulders. "It's very odd what happened. The nature of the charm she used to protect me against Riddle is an extraordinary bit of magic. No matter how many times I asked her, she wasn't able to tell me."

"Why wouldn't she tell you?" Kara asked in confusion.

Alia raised her eyebrow slightly. "It's because she honestly doesn't know."

Kara opened her mouth and nodded. "Oh."

The two of them sat quietly. Kara had been adopted into the Amazons. There was a type of fierce intensity in her that made her perfect. All of her people died, but she didn't let that stop her from thriving.

"I'm really glad that it's you fighting Diana, and not me," Kara informed Alia.

Alia could barely keep the smile off of her face. "Is that because she took you down when you came out of the ship?"

Kara laughed despite herself. "Something like that."

Kara could see a few Amazons making their way down to the arena. "I better get a good seat for your great moment, I want to be able to see it."

Alia smiled. Kara looked at her with a smile.

"Good luck."

Kara leaned forward and gave Alia a brief kiss. The two of them parted ways when Kara walked off.

"Well, that was bound to happen sooner or later."

Alia turned around and she could see Donna standing there. She wasn't the only one; a group of Amazons around Donna's age group had been released from their lessons. A couple of them paid their respects to their princess. One of them glared at Kara's retreating back in an extremely jealous manner.

"So, am I going to get invited to the wedding anytime soon?" Donna teased Alia.

Alia rolled her eyebrows. "Hey, if you act like that, I'm going to make a point not to invite you."

Donna stuck out her lip in response with an atomic pout. "That's cold, Alia, your own sister."

"We better get down there," one of the Amazons commented.

"I'm coming Aresia," Donna said. The same Amazon that gave Kara the ice cold glare of death followed a group of their friends down into the arena. "You do realize that there are a bunch of Amazons getting together and making bets about when you and your girlfriend are going to officially get together."

"Are they really that bored?" Alia asked.

Donna grinned. She didn't hear any refuting against the fact that Kara was Alia's girlfriend. If that was true, she might have won herself the pool.

She wasn't going to be too smug about it. Okay, maybe just a little bit.

Okay, maybe a lot.

* * *

Alia didn't feel intimidated in the slightest when she entered the battle arena. Her heart might have been racing under certain circumstances, but under others, she honestly couldn't be bothered. She stepped into the ring to square off with her sister.

The old advice of imagining your enemy in your underwear might not work that much. Alia had seen Diana in a lot less so there was no imaging of it. The Amazons had a lot fewer taboos, as in barely any at all.

Diana was dressed in full armor. She wore a black choker device with a sparkling emerald that adorned her neck. Her red top fit firmly around her breasts, extending down to a silver belt that wrapped tightly around her. There was a layer of body armor over her red top. A pair of tight black pants fit over her body. Her wrists were adorned stylishly with a pair of silver bracelets that glinted in the light.

Alia thought that imagining Diana in her underwear wouldn't be a good idea. It would distract her more. The youngest Amazon Princess stood prouder. There was the noise. Did it seem like every Amazon on Themscrycira turned out to watch this event? Alia didn't do a head count and she might have been exaggerating. She was pretty sure that she saw an entire group of Amazons fluttering around here.

Diana stepped closer towards Alia. Alia stepped back and looked towards her sister with a smile.

"You're not nervous, are you, Alia?" Diana asked her.

"No, I'm not nervous," Alia said. She looked up towards her sister. "Just don't go easy on me."

"I never go easy on you, Alia," Diana commented. Her tone was bold and strong. She stepped back.

All of the Amazons had their eyes on the Queen.

"It is becoming an old speech that I have given two times previously, but it is not every day that an Amazon Princess grows and officially joins our ranks," Hippolyta said. "Alia lost everything, like so many of you have before. The world crumbled around her, but we brought her to this island. She grew up into a wonderful young woman and is a credit to the hard work and dedication. Today, I present her with a gift, a gift that has been blessed by the same Goddesses who offered her sanctuary and offered so many of us the same sanctuary on this island."

Alia stepped forward. She was presented with her own set of armor.

"I thank you for this gift and I will wear it with honor," Alia said. It was a light weight armor, sleek, shined in the sunlight. It was able to reflect many attacks, both physical and magic.

At the same time, one should not rely on armor alone. Hippolyta leaned down and wrapped her youngest child into a hug. She kissed her firmly on the top of the head.

"It is a gift that you have well-earned," Hippolyta said. "Two years previously, we saw my second daughter Donna Troy step into the middle of this ring to fight my oldest daughter Diana. After a spirited battle, Diana came out on top, but there was no shame in Donna's loss."

Donna shrugged. She had to concede that her mother had a point. There was no shame whatsoever in losing to Diana.

"Now my youngest daughter steps into the ring to face Diana," Hippolyta said. "The two of you know the rules of this combat."

Diana and Alia nodded. They had both had the rules of Amazon etiquette well driven into them. The two of them went face to face with each other.

"Best of luck to you in battle, Alia," Diana said.

"Best of you in battle to you, Diana," Alia said.

Like two intense warriors did. The two of them stared down at each other. Neither of them backed down for the other.

Alia tried to take down Diana with a swift attack. Diana caught her by her waist and hurled her over the back of her head.

The youngest princess avoided a hard landing. Diana rushed her and tried to grapple her down to the ground.

It was a tense test of strength. Alia's legs slowly buckled underneath her. Diana didn't have to exert as much movement.

Alia got a certain point of leverage and she took it. The Amazon Princess propelled herself high into the air and stuck the landing behind Diana in response. Alia charged at Diana.

Diana avoided Alia's kick to the face. Alia landed down onto the ground. Diana delivered a rapid fire series of punches to her and twisted her arm behind her back.

Alia struggled. Sweat poured down her face and she struggled. Diana shoved Alia away from her. The two of them fired off a series of rapid fire shots.

Diana cringed when Alia got a pretty good glancing blow to the shoulder. It stuck the flesh on her shoulder and forced her to favor her right side and use her left side, something that she was not accustomed in doing.

Alia knew what happened with Diana and could not believe it. Lucky shot or not, she was going to take it.

A gust of wind blew over the island and Alia jumped up high. Diana caught her on the way down. The younger princess's momentum was used against her when she was slammed down onto the island hard with a crashing crunch. All of the wind had been knocked out of her due to the impact.

"Yield," Diana said to her.

Alia did a nip up to her feet. She tried to kick Diana. Diana blocked it. Diana was as good with one arm many people were good at with two.

She realized that Diana got her into one position. Diana went behind Alia and placed her into a sleeperhold. Alia struggled against Diana's grip and broke out.

The youngest Amazon Princess fired back with a series of jabs. All it did to her was cause her to be frustrated.

Alia got knocked firmly onto her back. She struggled to get up to her feet. The wind had gotten knocked out of her.

Diana showed why she only got defeated by her mother and Artemis. She stood over the downed form of Alia.

"You didn't go easy on me, good," Alia said. She felt like she got hit by a runaway train.

Diana knew that if Alia used her magical abilities, things might have been far more different. The problem was that she decided to fight hand to hand without any weapons or extra abilities. Just pure skill and Diana was just that much better.

It was close.

"Princess Diana is victorious," Hippolyta said.

Alia got to her feet and she could see Diana slumped over, having dropped to one knee. She stepped over to check on her sister.

"I'm fine, you just caught me harder than I thought you did," Diana said. She took her sister's hand. "After a battle like that, I think that we're both winners in a way."

"But you did take me down and knock me out," Alia said.

Diana was willing to concede to it being a draw. She did fall down seconds after battle. The injuries she had slowly healed. "You know, we might have to do this again in the future, because it was honestly too close to call."

"Seriously?" Alia asked her.

Diana smiled. "Seriously, really Alia, you did well out there. I'm proud of you."

Alia wasn't going to lie, that was something that she was proud of, when Diana was proud of her. "So, any time that you want a re-match, just….."

Diana placed her hand up and that cause Alia to be silent. The youngest Amazon Princess folded her arms in response.

"Allow this moment to pass, we'll have another soon," Diana commented. She wrapped her arms around Alia's waist with a slight hug and pulled away from her.

Alia gave a smile in response when she backed away from Diana. She wasn't going to lie, she felt pretty good all things considered.

* * *

Sometime later, Alia raced up the set of stairs. One could say that she practically flew up the step of stairs. It was to the temple that they paid tribute to the goddesses. On certain nights, Alia could come up here and visit her mother.

It was hard to determine exactly how Lily's spirit was able to inhabit this temple on certain nights. The spell she performed was honestly a bit of a mystery to be honest. Alia stopped at the temple, breathless. She couldn't see Lily, but she could feel her presence.

"So, did you do it?" Lily asked.

"I didn't win," Alia said. She looked and sounded very despondent about that. "But, it was pretty close. Diana said that we're going to have a rematch."

Lily sighed. "And if you're anything like I was at that age, you're going to be obsessing over that until you get your return match."

Alia was about to protest the fact that she didn't obsess. That caused her to stop and wonder if she did obsess. Donna had been telling her about the same thing. Hippolyta implied that she needed to slow down at times. Her lessons went good and she was one of the best. Alia thought that she could be better than her best.

"Okay, I guess that I obsess a little bit," Alia said. She bit down her lip.

She could almost imagine the look of mirth twinkling through Lily's eyes which were very much like her own. Alia smiled and heard her mother's laughter. She leaned against one of the pillars of the temple and there was a chill that went down her spine. Perhaps it was because the wind kicked up.

"How have your magical studies gone?" Lily asked.

"I think I've got the animations down properly," Alia said. She sat down and summoned the boxes before her. "You can see this, right?"

"Perfect," Lily said.

Alia nodded and waved her hands. She caused the blocks to rotate and dance with each other. The blocks fit together, hastily. They snapped together until they created a fully formed statue, with a glowing sword in its hand.

"I can create one of them, but….are you telling me that this enchantment can create an army?" Alia asked.

"Yes, my daughter, it can create an army, I know it's hard to believe," Lily informed her daughter.

Alia wrinkled up her nose, going deep in thought. She heard of some of the charms her mother invented, discovered, and indeed re-discovered. She mastered a few of them.

"A charm can be dangerous as a well-placed dark curse in the wrong hands," Lily said. "To an open mind, pretty much all magic can be on the level of the unforgiveable curses. It's just the matter of whether or not someone has the power to take magic to the next level. And I believe in time, you have that power."

Alia wondered if it would be entirely cheesy to say that she had the power. She figured that it might have.

"Just keep practicing with your charm work and the sky will be the limit for you," Lily said.

"I would have to concur," Hera agreed. The goddesses popped up and they all applauded.

Alia was always in awe when the goddesses showed themselves. Their wisdom taught her a lot and she tried to use their example to be taught even more.

"They grow up so fast," Aphrodite said. She smiled when she looked at Alia. "And you grow more beautiful than by the day. They're going to have to be chasing the girls away from you."

"You seem awfully insistent that she'll have a coven of females," Lily said. Not that she minded, because if that's what makes her daughter happy.

"She takes after you, with her own flair, and I'm certain that you have had a few girls questioning their sexuality," Athena added.

"She did," Aphrodite said. She smiled when she looked at Alia. "Especially since Alia has been reading the books that I might have left behind on the island."

"Those tawdry tomes?" Athena asked.

Hestia rolled her eyes. "Oh, remove the book from your ass, Athena. You know that you disappeared with one of them to….study intently."

"I was merely interested on things from an educational standpoint," Athena said. She refused to argue this point any further. "Personally, I'm proud how Alia's studies have gone, and she's willing to think outside of the box. She's one of my best students since Rowena, and we know she's gone onto great things."

"She has enjoyed her quiet retirement, and her libraries, for the past thousand or so years, yes," Hera said. She knew that the goddesses could get off topic so it was time for her to steer things back on course. "We would like to congratulate Alia for the next step of her ascension into an Amazon warrior."

"And may she take down all of her enemies with a fury that cannot be matched," Artemis said. She was glad that Alia learned well from her namesake, the other Artemis, the Amazon. Then again, Artemis taught Artemis well, a statement that would make perfect sense.

"Yes, she has done well."

The Queen of the Amazons made her presence felt and it's a regal presence. "The feast is about to start, and it's missing it's guest of honor."

"Right," Alia said. She knew that was her suggestion to leave.

The goddesses all made themselves scarce. Anyone knew that they still lingered around when they were needed.

"I do remember, a long time ago, when I was that spirited when I was that age," Hippolyta told Lily. "Weren't you?"

"I recall well that I was," Lily said. "My time grows short here and I'm glad that Alia did well today. You never guess who I saw passing through the void between life and death."

Hippolyta waved her hand. She was curious as to what Lily saw.

"Albus Dumbledore," Lily informed her. "Best I can figure out is that it finally got to him, the constant angry letters and howlers, and the people ripping him when word got out that he lost Alexandra. The civil unrest in that world when some of their most prominent members passed in the weeks following Voldemort's downfall didn't help."

"What is going to happen there?" Hippolyta asked.

"I don't know," Lily said. "We thought that it might be inevitable that Dumbledore would be a problem if Alexandra returned to that world. But that problem is gone. She can claim her inheritance."

"The gold that she'd get from that world is just a drop in the bucket," Hippolyta reminded her.

"I was talking about the Evans family inheritance," Lily said. "We don't want anyone to get their hands into that. Even though Petunia is disowned, we still don't want anyone to get their hands into it still. And I suspect that she should take her NEWTs, only to say that she did."

"She would enjoy having a notch on her belt," Hippolyta confirmed. She thought about something. "We should be a bit less isolated. It's leading to a schism between our island and the outside world, and within the island. I'd like to nip that in the bud when we could."

Hippolyta stroked her hair back and leaned back.

"Tonight's a night of celebration, not a night of politics," Hippolyta said. She had to think about what she wanted to do, for the best.

Lily's time grew short. "Well, I know that you've given Alia the tools for her to thrive, so I give you my blessing to allow her to leave the island. Not that you need it."

"But it's more appreciated," Hippolyta answered.

She stepped from the temple. It would be bad form if the queen missed the feast.

The Queen of the Amazons stopped and she could have sworn that she felt a presence. Her warrior instincts increased when she looked over her shoulder. The woman's eyes scanned from one side to the next.

Nothing, at least it was nothing for now. Hippolyta shook her head and left. It was time to celebrate her daughter's accomplishments.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	3. The Offer

**Chapter Two: The Offer.**

* * *

"And there Alia was. I thought for a moment that Diana finally was going to be humbled by her, but Diana managed to dig down deep and pretty much lift a mountain over her head and smash it down onto Alia," Donna said in an excited voice. She looked at both of her extremely bemused sisters. Both of them shook their heads, neither saying a word. The expressions on their faces said pretty much everything.

The three Amazon princesses sat outside late at night, underneath the stars. They were talking about the amazing battle that was between Alia and Diana. Alia showed the fruits of her labor, but Diana showed why she was the third best fighter on this island, obviously behind Hippolyta and Artemis.

Putting herself behind those two, she had no shame in that, for a variety of reasons. Donna was rattling this battle and obviously her perspective from the stands showed a completely different side to the battle. It was a side that Diana didn't remember.

Alia's lips curled into a smile. The fact Alia could barely keep a straight face amused Diana to no end, her poor sister was going to crack any second now.

"Donna, I'm not sure that's what….."

"But, Alia, Alia nearly ripped Diana's arm off, I thought she was intense, focused before, but that just goes to show you never knew a person until they're in the heat of battle," Donna said. Much to their dismay and amusement, Donna was rambling on about the battle. "Diana practically had one arm."

Diana shook her head. She didn't want to burst Donna's bubble and say that it was just simply a flesh wound. That was what it was, just merely a flesh wound. She could see Alia's face.

"This battle is going to get exaggerated more every time she talks about it, I hope you realize that," Diana said to Alia.

"I'm not exaggerating anything," Donna said. Both Diana and Alia looked towards her and corked their eyebrows. Donna's shoulders shrugged. "Okay, maybe just a little bit, but you can't blame me for that."

"No, I might have done the same thing if I was in your place," Alia said.

"Two years ago, you were in that same place," Diana reminded her.

Alia did recall that. She recalled the battle between Donna and Diana during that time.

"So, which one of us was better?" Donna asked.

Diana's eyebrows raised up and she gave one of those looks. Donna slapped her hands onto her hips and glared at Diana in an attempt to get her to say something. When that didn't work, Donna bit down on her lip and gave Diana the puppy dog eyes in response.

Much to her dismay, Diana's gaze kept extremely stony. Alia barely was able to hold in her laughter. Just barely, by the scarcest amounts, she was able to keep herself from breaking. It wasn't easy, far from it. She kept herself extremely calm. A breath was drawn in and a breath was out of her in a matter of seconds.

"You're both really good," Diana said.

Donna huffed angrily. "That was a cop out answer if there ever was one."

"I'm not kidding," Diana said. "Both of you have improved and I couldn't be more proud of either of you."

Alia wasn't going to deny this. Diana's praise of her had to make her smile.

"Just don't get a big head because of it," Diana said. She reminded one time how she took praise to heart too much. To make a long story short, her mother really knocked her out of it.

Alia nodded. "Don't worry, Diana. I'm sure that no matter what you do, you'll be able to take us both down to Earth. Even though I'm sure Donna is going to need it more."

"Ha, ha, very funny," Donna said dryly. She looked at Alia and glared at her. Alia's eyes shifted and she gave Donna a smile.

Diana was about ready to break this little interplay up between her sisters. The Amazon Princess paused and she closed her eyes. Something was happening behind her and she got up to her feet.

"Diana, what is it?" Alia asked.

"I don't know," Diana said. She put herself between her two sisters and whatever it was there. "Show yourself."

A slow and loud clapping echoed throughout Diana's ears. The Amazon Princess did not do the patient thing well, especially when her sisters were in danger. Her arms folded together and her lips twisted into a practical snarl.

"I SAID SHOW YOURSELF!"

"Temper, temper, Princess," a voice stated from the shadows. "I wonder what your mother would think of that."

Diana recognized that voice and she most certainly recognized the person that formed after it. Her purple hair shined eerily in the moonlight. Her purple eyes shimmered. She wore a green toga that filled up in all of the right places. She had a body that was built for equal parts of sin and deception. She waved her panted purple nails back and forth. Sandals covered a pair of elegant feet.

"Circe," Diana said.

The Goddess of Magic laughed. "Yes, Princess, I'm sure that the cognitive recognition skills in your mind are well working. That's always good to do."

"What are you doing here?" Diana demanded.

Circe tutted. "Not a courtesy hello. I know that your mother taught you better than that, Princess. But if you must know, I am here to congratulate the youngest princess on her triumphant performance today against you. A little bit closer, and she would have beaten you in battle. I wonder how that would have messed up the pecking order of things. But, I'm certain a perfectionist such as yourself would have been just able to pick up her training right where she left off."

"Yes, what is it you want?" Diana asked. Her eyes narrowed slightly when she looked at her adversary.

"I told you, I'm here to congratulate the youngest princess on her ascension," Circe said. "It must have been the culmination of hard work and determination."

"Thank you," Alia said.

"At least one of Hippolyta's daughters learned common courtesy," Circe said. Donna and Diana glared at Circe. "I hope that you don't lose that. Despite the misunderstanding between myself and Hippolyta, the offer to teach you is still on the table. Your magical abilities are strong, but they could be better."

"I think Alia is doing just fine," Diana said.

"Diana, I can handle this," Alia said. She practically side stepped her sister. "Circe, I appreciate the offer, I'm flattered….but I think that I'm doing find right there."

"Yes, if that's what you think, and not what others thing, than I can accept it," Circe said.

"Oh, this is just a chance to screw with Mother," Diana answered. She placed her hand firmly on Alia's shoulder. She almost expected Circe to try something.

"And it seems like someone is nursing a little grudge after what happened the last time we met each other," Circe said. The woman tutted, almost mockingly. "I would ask if your mother taught you how to forgive and forget, but I think that we all any better."

There was a long pause where Diana looked at Circe. The two of them were locked into a stare down with each other. Neither backed down from their stance, and Donna wondered what was going to happen next.

Diana was in one of her stubborn modes. "I'll pass on my regards to mother that you were here."

"And now the princess resorts to tattling, aren't we being childish?" Circe asked. "And I didn't break the edict, I haven't stepped a simple foot on the island."

Diana's eyes shifted over. Sure enough, Circe's form hovered over the ground. There wasn't one foot on the island.

Another revelation struck her. Circe wasn't present on the island. She faded out into the mist form.

"A message," Diana said.

"Yes, I think we figured that out with the sudden disappearing act," Donna said. She could turn to Alia who stepped forward and folded her arms. "Alia, is everything alright?"

"Fine, everything is just fine," Alia replied. She dug her heels onto the ground. Donna placed her hand on her shoulder. "And thanks for letting me have a voice out there, Diana, I really appreciate what you've done."

Diana realized what she did and why Alia was mad. She might be mad too considering the circumstances.

"I….didn't intend to make your decisions for you, Alia," Diana said. She reached towards her sister. "I just….Circe is a master of trickery and deception….she is just using you to get to Mother and get inside my head, and screw with me."

"Or maybe she sees some potential in me," Alia said.

There was a long, exceedingly awkward pause. Donna stepped between her two sisters. She didn't want to see this. Tonight had started so innocent, and she didn't want to have them have it out with each other.

"She might," Diana admitted. She caused Alia's eyes to narrow at her. She amended her statement after realizing how it could be taken. "And she does for good reason, but she is going to help you to harness that potential for all of the reasons."

Diana shook her head when she could see Alia. Her back was turned on her and she looked towards her quarters.

"I'm going to bed, good night, Donna," Alia said. She walked off.

This left Diana and Donna in a bit of a lurch with each other. Donna turned towards her sister. Diana sighed. "You're going to let me have it, aren't you, Donna?"

"Trust me, sis, nothing I'm going to say is going to beat what you're beating yourself up for, in your own head," Donna said. She smiled when she looked at Diana. "I seem to recall you having a similar argument with Mother over the same exact thing."

"Yes, I know," Diana said. She had the realization that she was turning into her mother. It was what every woman feared.

While turning into Hippolyta might not be the worst thing in the world, there were some less than desirable qualities that Diana wanted to avoid. She decided that it was time to take a walk.

"I trust that you'll get off to bed, without me escorting you there," Diana said. She looked at Donna. Donna gave her a shifty grin in response.

"Yes, Mother," Donna said. This statement was given quite cheekily.

Diana sighed. That statement, given in jest, was not one that really settled Diana's nerves all that much. Circe had that nature of getting underneath her skin, even when she wasn't trying to. Diana wished that she could convince herself that the goddess had benign reasons for offering training to Alia.

* * *

Kara Zor-El thought that she would get in some training. She really was eager to learn how to train. Perhaps she had been a bit inspired by Alia's performance yesterday. Actually, that was exactly what it was. Alia's performance motivated her to increase her abilities to a brand new height.

She found herself dressed in a tight white shirt and a pair of tight black shorts. She stretched out, extending her long shapely legs in response. Her hair was tied back so it wouldn't get in her face.

Kara stretched, her arms up into the air. That caused the already tight white material on the shirt to ride up, exposing more of her extremely toned midsection. The black shorts showed a little bit of her ass when she extended her legs forward.

She could see the door open. Kara stopped when she heard someone enter the room. The person stopped and spoke. "No, Kara, don't stop on my account."

Kara smiled and she could see Alia there.

"Some of the Earth clothes that I had on my ship still fit me….well they'll do good enough," Kara said.

"Oh, it's a good look for you," Alia said. She smiled. "If we ever leave the island and explore the mainland, we're going to have to get you some new clothes."

"Oh that means we're going to have to go shopping," Kara grumbled. "No offense, but I hate shopping."

"I hate shopping too, well I've never done shopping, but I'm pretty sure this is something that I hate," Alia said. "I make all of my clothes by hand."

"Oh, by hand?" Kara asked. She looked surprised.

Alia caught onto this fact and called her out on it. "Just why are you surprised that I make all my clothes by hand?"

"No, no real reason, it does make sense," Kara said. She looked at Alia, practically gushing when she stared at her. "And they do look beautiful. And you make them even look more beautiful."

Alia wasn't going to lie, that was the type of comment that just made her smile a tiny bit. She didn't say anything, but her eyes said a lot of things. She stretched out as calmly as could be, preparing herself with what was going to happen next.

"So, how are you on your stance?"

Kara thought that she hit a stumbling block. She stood on the ground and crunched her nose up. "I'm having a bit of trouble with that, actually. My technique is good, but my stance, Artemis said that it could use some work."

"Why don't you show me?" Alia asked her.

She watched when Kara got into position. It wasn't bad for someone who was just less than a year in training. The blonde seemed a bit awkward where she was standing. Alia realized what the problem was straight away.

"I think that I figured out the problem, if you'll just allow me to correct it," Alia said. She stepped behind her and placed her arms on Kara's waist. She pressed her breasts against Kara's back. "You need to shift your feet about half of an inch to the right, and stand up a bit straighter. You should tilted your head where you can get the fullest scope of all of your enemies attacks."

Kara felt Alia pressed against her. Her cheeks rose with the heat that was coming from them. One of the reasons why she wore the watch was because of an impromptu blast of heat vision that came from them.

"Just relax," Alia said to her. "Pretend I'm not here. Just make sure to copy this stance exactly as I directed."

Kara did what she directed. She stood in a stance that was pretty good. "So, how's that?"

"Pretty good, and you are in position to attack me," Alia said. Kara jumped up, but she lost herself and flipped over, landing on her face. It was a mark of their relationship that Alia didn't laugh. "Okay, that was…fine."

"No it wasn't," Kara argued. She took Alia's hand when she was lead up to her feet. "I really thought that I could do better than that."

"Well, you can, but there's always room for improvement," Alia admitted. She got to her feet. "Take the stance again, and try to attack me again. I'd prefer you didn't land on your face this time."

Kara looked not too amused. "Yeah, you and I both."

She tried to attack Alia. Alia allowed one of her punches to go through. Kara showed a bit of hesitation and she grabbed Kara by the arms and forced her down onto the ground. She was on top of Alia and she pushed her down onto the ground. Kara struggled in response when Alia had her forced down on the ground.

"One of the rules in battle that you shouldn't hesitate when you have the advantage against an enemy," Alia said.

Kara groaned when Alia stepped back and allowed her back to her feet. "Yes, noted. Are we going to go again?"

"Not today," Alia said. "I'm sure that you've had enough humiliation for one day."

Kara's eyes flashed forward with determination. She tried a kick towards Alia. Alia caught it. The two of them went into a brief sparring session with each other. Alia dodged some of her blows. Kara managed to avoid or block most of hers. A couple of glancing blows knocked the wind out of her.

"You really are too good," Kara said. She found Alia drive her down onto the mattress of the bed beside the training area.

"Yes, thank you," Alia said. "But, you can be better. You have potential and that spirited display proves it."

"Thank you," Kara said. She perfectly was aware that Alia straddled the top of her and she could pretty much do anything she wanted to her right now.

Her chest raised and lowered. Alia placed her hand on the side of Kara's face and slowly stroked her blonde hair. "Beautiful and strong, that's a good combination. You're all kinds of fun, Kara."

"Thanks," Kara said. She closed her eyes and mentally counted to ten. Her heart was racing.

A knock on the door caused Alia to let up on Kara a little bit. Kara didn't know whether to feel annoyed or relieved because of this sudden knock on the door. She was going for some combination of both of them.

The door opened up and Artemis stepped inside. "Princess Alia, your mother wishes to speak to you."

Alia looked a bit sour. Kara placed her hand on hers. She hoped that it really didn't have to do with Circe. She knew that Diana was going to tell her mother that Circe made her presence made on the island and she might have done so as well given the same situation.

"Yes, I'm going to be there right away," Alia said.

"Good luck," Kara said.

She leaned towards her and kissed her on the lips. This kiss lingered long last. Kara was surprised at her daring and even more surprised that Alia returned the kiss with an equal amount of flavor and flare.

Artemis acted like the two engaged in this passionate act was normal. Amazons had a far more liberated view of sexual relationships with females and their celebrations tended to get a little passionate at times.

"And, Queen Hippolyta wishes to speak to you as well, Kara."

* * *

Diana had curiously been summoned, along with Donna. The two oldest Amazon sisters got there first and waited for Kara and Alia to arrive. Diana had a shrewd idea what this was all about.

Donna's gaze met her sister's. Diana kept herself calm and collected, not backing down from the gaze Donna gave her. "So, what's the deal here?"

"We'll find out when it's time for us to know," Donna informed Donna. Donna folded her arms over her chest and gave Diana an extremely pointed gaze.

Donna hated when that answer was given. It never led to good things at all. It always led to things that were both equal parts upsetting and equal parts unsettling.

Artemis made her way in there. Alia followed her and Kara tagged behind her. The two of them walked with each other and they held hands. They were having a quiet conversation, and Diana could only imagine what they were talking about.

Alia gave both Diana and Donna polite smiles. "Diana, Donna."

Diana thought that Alia was being oddly, formally polite to her. Then again, Alia might not be the person who wanted to air her grievances in front of the Queen of the Amazons.

"Why did you want to see us, Mother?" Alia asked.

"Your ascension ceremony has opened up many doors for you, dear daughter," Hippolyta informed her. "And they are doors that have not been opened up for many Amazons due to your unique heritage."

"It's that time, isn't it," Alia said. She didn't seem too thrilled about having exposure to that particular corner of the world.

"Now is the perfect time, now more than ever," Hippolyta explained to her. Alia corked her eyebrow and was about to ask how that could be. Hippolyta was only too willing to tell her. "Albus Dumbledore has passed away."

"A shame, for them, then," Alia said. "He was the one that pretty much held their world together."

"Yes, he didn't delegate that much, most of them expected him to solve all of his problems," Hippolyta said. The man Dumbledore accomplished much in the past. He just made some questionable judgment calls that colored the last several years of his life. "The world assumes that you disappeared, seven years ago from their perspective."

"Seven years should be enough time for them to move on, shouldn't it?" Donna asked her mother.

"Some of them still rattled Dumbledore with howlers, it was a team effort that drove him to an extremely early grave," Hippolyta remarked. "And now they're stumbling. It doesn't help that a lot of their most powerful members mysterious suffered ailments that reduced them to be powerless or caused a premature demise."

It was an unspoken truth the Amazons knew what happened with that. It was a failsafe that Voldemort put in. It only affected his marked followers and their heirs. The hideous truth was that many innocent children died, but that was all on Riddle's head.

"Yes, but what does that have to do with me?" Alia asked.

"Yes, in a moment, Alia, be patient," Hippolyta said. Alia folded her arms. She respected her mother enough not to talk back to her, but if there was one thing that annoyed her, it was someone telling her to be patient. "There is a chance for you to claim your inheritance. The Potter gold and businesses pale in comparison to those that the Evans line has."

"The Evans line was an old family, in high class, part of an ancient society, yes, I know," Alia answered. Her mother informed her of this bloodline. "And Aunt Rose is managing the interests."

Rose did come to the island to visit Alia a few times. She couldn't stay for long because of the twins. Alia looked forward to officially meeting her twin cousins for the first time. They were also technically her twin sisters as well but magic was complicated like that.

"I knew I had to go back," Alia said.

"It's more than going back to that world, Alia," Hippolyta informed her. "You four have a chance to explore the wider world and see much of it."

"The four of us?" Donna asked. She couldn't help herself from speaking out of turn.

"Yes, the four of you," Hippolyta confirmed for her middle daughter. "I believe that this is an opportunity for us to test out the waters, to get a closer view of the landscape of the outside world. And I think that you wanted to visit the outside for some time, Diana?"

Diana's eyes turned towards her mother. She tried not to nod too eagerly at what her mother said. She resembled the cat that ate the canary when she spoke.

"I'll be willing to do everything possible to serve the nation of Themscrycira," Diana said. She cringed when she realized how hammy and over the top that it sounded. Alia and Donna rolling their eyes both at her proved that she wasn't the only one that thought that.

Hippolyta regarded her daughter with a smile. "All I wish is for your honest assessment of the world. While it's too soon to make direct contact, it might be the best idea to observe them in their natural environment. It will allow Alia to claim her inheritance, and it will also allow Kara to visit her cousin."

Kara knew that was inevitable. The goddesses gave her reassurance that her younger cousin was pretty much fine and found by a loving family. She grew up in a nice farmhouse with her mother. It allowed her mother to do her experiments in relative peace, without too many people interfering her business.

Her cousin would have a nice upbringing.

"So, I get to go with Alia, Diana, and Donna?" Kara asked.

"After the relationship that you've formed with Alia and my other two daughters, it would not be wise to keep you behind," Hippolyta said. She gave a brisk smile towards them. "This is not a decision to be made lightly, and I could not ask you to make your decision right yet."

Diana pretty much had her mind made up. This was an opportunity that an Amazon would have to win a tournament to have and that happened once every hundred years, if not even yet.

She could see that her sisters seemed more conflicted.

"Yes, I suppose we should think it over," Diana said. "Talk it over, discuss what's best. We need to talk anyway."

"Right, we need to talk," Alia responded. She kept her expression calm and her voice respectful. "Will that be what you'll need from us, Mother?"

"Yes," Hippolyta agreed. The four girls were about ready to leave, but Hippolyta stood to her full height. "Kara, I need to have a word with you. Could you please stay? It shall only be a few moments."

Kara stood up straight and nodded. Alia reached over, grabbed her hand, and squeezed it tightly. She leaned towards Kara and kissed her on the cheek.

"Good luck."

Kara thought that she was being thrown to the wolves. She stepped towards the Queen of the Amazons with a smile on her face.

"What are your intentions regarding my daughter?"

Kara craned her neck up. "My intentions are that I wish to pursue a relationship with your daughter."

Hippolyta looked pleased by Kara's bold honesty when she spoke. "Alia does think the world of you. And she has taken you underneath her wing since the moment that you arrived at this island."

"Yes, she has," Kara agreed with a smile on her face. She had some interesting dreams about the youngest Amazon princess and could feel something grow between her. "I figured that I might see where it goes."

"If the heart wants something, than you should go after it," Hippolyta told her. "One of the most damning questions ever known is what might have been."

"Yes, I know," Kara agreed. "So, do I have your blessing?"

"Not that it's needed, but yes you do," Hippolyta said.

"It might not be needed, but it's extremely appreciated," Kara answered in a really gracious tone of voice. She appreciated Hippolyta allowing her a chance to court Alia. Although she had a feeling sometimes Alia was courting her.

"My daughter might be a handful, and….someone of her heritage, she will have many mates," Hippolyta said.

"I know that, and I understand," Kara said. "I just hope that I can be her first."

"I would take the opportunity before it slips away, then," Hippolyta advised her. Lily approved of Kara and Hippolyta did as well, and the goddesses knew that the relationship between Kara and Alia was inevitable. She would be one of the Alphas in the pack that Alia was forming. "I know that you will take care of my daughter and won't hurt her."

"Yes, I'm certain that there will be a line forming if I do," Kara said.

"Yes, and I might not make it to the front of it, but I think there would be others who might make you wish that I have," Hippolyta informed her. "Go forth, and follow your heart and your dreams, to see where it might take you."

Kara nodded. She knew that she better take this opportunity, because Hippolyta had a point. There would be an entire line of females as far as the eye could see to get their chance with Alia. Kara wanted to be first in line if she could.

* * *

"The ascension of our youngest princess has caught a lot of attention," Hera informed the other goddesses.

"And the attention is not necessarily the good kind, is it?" Athena asked.

"Yes, Athena, it isn't," Aphrodite said. "We managed to put a stop on the Gods and directly intervening, so they got all broody. Given that Diana became of age, some of them are looking for the best opportunity to get into her panties and Donna and Alia aren't too far behind."

"Aren't we plotting to do the same?" Artemis asked.

"Not entirely what they're doing, but in essence, the truth, but the Amazons have always been an area of contention, as certain Gods who will not be named are upset that we put a potential stop on some of the women," Aphrodite explained.

Hera knew for a fact that Aphrodite eluded to her ex-husband.

"And what about your pet project regarding the youngest princess?" Hera asked.

"They're almost together, just one slight nudge," Aphrodite explained.

"And I'm pretty sure us meddling in this…and by us, I mean you, aren't going to go over too well," Athena replied.

"You can all see it written in the stars between Alia and Kara, it wasn't an accident that Kara practically crashed at her feet," Aphrodite said. "But, it's just the base of something great, and it's just beginning."

"It's a wonder that the two of them didn't get together a long time before this," Hera replied.

"Well, there are other forces that have prevented their joining," Aphrodite admitted. "The time is nearly right though and I'm sure when their hearts and souls align the strongest….."

"You do realize that sounds sappy, don't you?" Artemis asked.

Aphrodite waved her hand. "Goddess of Love, if I can't be sappy, then I'm surely not doing my job."

"Yes, and you do it better than anyone else," Hera said. She decided that she took some piece of information. "The rest of you can gossip about matters on Olympus, I've got some other things to do."

She had someone to visit, someone that she needed to remind not to stir up a lot of trouble. Hera wasn't ignorant about the fact she presented herself on the island earlier.

Hera showed up at a rather gaudy looking palace. It was decorated to the nines and it was a fancy palace, one fit for a goddess.

The door swung open and Hera entered inside.

"If I had known that you were coming, I would have tidied up the place a little bit."

Hera didn't really blink because of Circe's demeanor.

"I know that you showed up on the island, Circe," Hera said.

"The agreement was that I never would step one foot on the island, and I didn't step a single foot on that island," Circe said.

There was no wonder Circe was a lawyer in her mortal job. She was a master in finding loopholes in contracts.

"What are you up to?" Hera asked.

Circe looked extremely hurt. "Dear Hera, I don't know what me. As if little old me is up to something, I mean….I can't believe that you would assume such a thing about me."

"It's more than an assumption," Hera replied. Her arms folded delicately underneath her chest. "You have offered Alexandra an opportunity to learn magic."

"She seems like she has useful talents, something like that shouldn't be squandered," Circe said. "You don't think that I'm doing to his to screw with Hippolyta. Sure, I enjoy screwing with Hippolyta, but this isn't about her. Even if she thinks that it would like to be, because I think she obsesses about me even more than I obsess about her."

"Your honesty is surprising," Hera said, blinking suddenly.

Circe waved her hands. "Hey, just calling it how I see it. We do have some mutual tension with each other. Things were said, things were done."

"Yes, and people were turned into pigs," Hera reminded her.

"That was a long time ago, people need to learn to forgive and forget," Circe replied, shaking her head. "And I haven't done that in at least five hundred years. Well, maybe once, but the guy was asking for it. And you would have done the same thing, if you were in my position."

Hera looked deep into Circe's eyes and frowned.

"Bringing Alia to that island though and removing her from….that world," Circe said. It was obvious that she was referring to the wand wavers, who Circe personally decided was the short bus brigade of magical users. And she wasn't alone in that thought. "Second best decision that you've ever made, right next to dropping Big Z cold. That was a decision that was centuries overdue."

Hera frowned.

"So many questions and not enough answers," Circe replied. "That must be infuriating for you."

"You have no idea," Hera said.

"And you still haven't found a way to bring Lily Evans back and you don't know what charm she used that protected her daughter," Circe said. "And inadvertently wiped out a quarter of the idiot population as well, I should note, but that was Riddle who did that. Well Riddle isn't doing much, because he ceased to be. And once that world disappears, no one will even remember his name."

"What are you talking about?" Hera asked.

Circe smiled. "Nothing, Hera, just thinking out loud."

Hera's eyes narrowed. She had a sense that Circe knew more than she was letting on. "Just remember, we're watching you."

"I know, and I'm on my best behavior," Circe said. She looked the Queen of the Goddesses in the eyes and licked her lips with a sultry gaze in her eyes.

Hera left with her warning, that was all she can do. Technically, Circe didn't do anything wrong, so she couldn't punish her.

And she wouldn't get a straight answer, so it was time for Hera to leave.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	4. Bonding

**Chapter Three: Bonding.**

* * *

Alia had a lot to think about regarding what she wanted to do next. To be honest, the number of options she had was pretty unlimited. She could pretty much do anything that she wanted to.

The only thing she knew was certain was that she was not going to get a wand and head into Hogwarts. She wasn't going to learn their brand of baby magic. That was beneath her. She was only interested in the gold and perhaps scouting a few of the more talented females. She would get the best in the best in that world.

That world sounded like a political quagmire of headaches, but thankfully it was only one small corner of the mainland. Alia folded her arms over her lap and leaned onto the bench. She actually made her way out first. She could see Kara coming up behind her. Kara took a seat next to her on the bench. Alia wrapped her arm instinctively around her best friend and pulled her in tight.

"So, what do you think?" Kara asked.

Seconds passed as Alia contemplated that. "It's funny, you ask one of the most simple questions in the world."

"But, it doesn't have a simple answer, does it?" Kara asked.

Alia shook her head. It didn't really have a simple answer. She drummed her fingers casually and calmly and waited for her sisters to arrive. She didn't have to wait for that long after Donna and Diana stepped towards them.

Diana and Alia had not mentioned their spat that they had to the mother or to each other. Both had an unspoken agreement just to cool off and discuss it maturely later. Alia smiled when she looked at Diana.

"So, what do you think?" Alia asked.

Diana shrugged her shoulders. She was intrigued, but she could wait if it meant that her younger sister wasn't ready. "I want to know what you think."

Alia clucked her tongue in response. "Now, I asked you first."

"Honestly just one of you say something," Donna said. She folded her arms and stuck out her lip in a pout. "You know, both of you are driving me mad sometimes. Diana ,you were right, Alia you were right, but at the same time ,you were both wrong. Are we happy, so we can move on with our lives?"

Kara leaned in towards Donna. "Donna, I'm pretty sure that it isn't going to be that simple, and you know it."

Donna groaned and folded her arms. You couldn't really blame a girl for hoping. Hope sprang eternally.

"Diana, you know that this has been your dream for a long time," Alia said.

Diana nodded. That was one point that she was willing to concede on. This had been a dream of hers for a long time to go out and see the entire world. She felt like she was missing on something. Diana thought about sneaking off on the island a lot of times when she was younger. She even stepped into the waters a time or two, but she didn't dare to go much further than that.

She wondered if her mother was knowing what she was doing. Diana thought that she might have, given the times that Alia and Diana were caught doing pretty much the same thing when they were younger.

"It has been something that I wanted to do," Diana admitted to herself. She hated to say this, but this was something that was about as strong as her heart's desire. "It's something that I had been interesting in doing."

Donna was quick on the uptake when she saw the moment of indecision on Diana's face. "But, I'm sensing a but….aren't I, Diana?"

Diana shook her head in response. She took a moment to compose her thoughts. "It's one of those things where I don't know if it's what I really want right now."

"Diana, I swear if this is on my account….."

"No, Alia, it isn't, trust me on that one," Diana said. She looked her dead in the eye. "But, I do want your opinion on it."

Alia looked at Diana. It was obvious that she was trying to make amends regarding their little argument earlier without properly bringing it up.

Kara's gaze shifted from Alia to Diana. She could shiver and feel the intensity being cut with a knife. She could feel Alia's hand draped over her own.

She locked eyes with Donna and Kara knew that she was thinking the exact same thing. Things were about ready to get insane and not in a good way either.

"You honestly want to know what I think?" Alia asked.

Donna could have done an epic facepalm. Or at least she would have, had it not made her undignified and not so Princess like. She shook her head, biting down hard on her lip. "Yes, Alia, she really wants to know what you think. And please, we don't want to keep going around in circles. There's nothing more than I hate than you going around in circles."

"I don't know," Alia said. She turned towards Kara. "What do you think?"

"Oh, come on, don't pass this on to me," Kara said. She shook her head and looked towards her. "Really, Alia, what do you think?"

"Just someone tell someone what they really think for Hera's sake!" Donna snapped.

"Fine, Donna, what do you think?" Diana asked.

Donna frowned and she thought about it for a few seconds. "Well, I have a feeling that it might be fun to get off the island and go out and see the world for a little bit. We could use a little bit of a vacation and actually not be warrior princesses all of the time."

"Yes, that can get tiring," Alia agreed. She couldn't resist needling her sister just a little bit. "But, you know that….."

"Yes, I know that some might think of a trip to paradise as a vacation," Donna retorted. That caused Kara to break out into an intense fit of giggles. One look from Donna. "But Paradise becomes mundane and mundane becomes paradise when you're used to paradise. Or something like that."

"Is this your odd attempt to be philosophical?" Alia asked her.

"No stranger than your attempts to be philosophical and everything," Donna fired back.

Alia shrugged. That was really true. She could be in some odd ones when she really wanted to. She pondered the entire situation.

"Okay, if you want me honestly tell you what I thinking about, I think that I need some time to think about it," Alia said.

Donna nodded in response. That made perfect sense that her sister needed some time to think about and contemplate everything. She might have had the same idea in her mind.

She turned towards Diana who looked like she was considering something. There was a pause and Diana nodded in affirmation. "That would be more than fair I think. This is not a decision that we should take lightly."

"You've been thinking about this since before either of us were alive, and we know what it would be if it was down to you," Donna said.

Diana looked towards her sister with a frown. "That's not a decision that any of us should take lightly."

Donna backed up underneath Diana's gaze. It was intense and powerful, like Diana could set her on fire with her mind. Donna raised her hand in a tired manner and gave Diana a salute and she followed that by a bow.

Kara looked amused. She turned briefly and she could see the stoic look passing over Alia's face when she watched the interplay between her two sisters. It was obviously that Alia was considering something or holding her tongue.

"It's not settled yet, there's still plenty of time for us all to figure out where we want to go from here," Donna replied. Diana nodded in agreement, cupping her hand underneath her chin.

Alia knew for a fact that if this came down to a vote, she might get outvoted. Yet, it seemed like this was a trip for her benefit. There was a reason why she had to return to that place. She had some potential resources there and it would be good for her to see the world.

She honestly didn't know to be honest though. Alia thought it over constantly, a few times in fact.

Kara meanwhile was deep in thought. She wanted to see her cousin since the first time since they left Krypton. However, that wasn't a high priority. She was safe with a loving family, so it wasn't as high of a priority. That's what the goddesses assured her anyway.

She thought about the conversation Hippolyta had with her as well. Her gaze locked onto Alia's for a moment. Bright blue eyes met green eyes.

"You know, I think that I just need some time to think about this," Alia said.

Diana nodded in response. "I think that we have some time to think about all of this."

"If this is what you want Diana….."

"We all need some time to think about this," Diana replied. Her tone grew more firm and Alia took a half of a step back. It was obvious that Diana had spoken.

Donna and Kara could see the tension between the two. Both of them didn't speak up because they didn't want to stir the pot.

"I agree, we all need to think about what's best," Donna said after a moment. She hoped that she would be able to ease tensions slightly. She turned towards both of them. "If we jump into this too soon, we could get into serious trouble."

Alia didn't mention the fact that the goddesses wouldn't have offered this opportunity had they not been ready. Thankfully, Diana wasn't going to bring that point up either and Alia was extremely grateful for the fact that she didn.t

Kara gave her a side long look and decided that now was the time for her to make her move. She thought about it for a second. "Alia, do you think that I can talk to you for a minute?"

Alia was caught off guard. She could see the urgent look in Kara's eyes and smiled. "Of course, Kara."

Kara was glad. Diana looked at Alia. "Just think about what you want to do, Alia, and let us know when you've made a decision one way or another."

"Yes, Diana, I will, trust me," Alia told her with a smile crossing her face. She looked towards Kara and the two of them made their way across the island.

* * *

"So, your mother had a conversation with me about you and our relationship," Kara said. That caused Alia to raise an eyebrow and Kara to think that she should clarify because she could be talking about one of two people. "I mean, I was talking to Hippolyta about the two of us. And she seems to have noticed the interest that I have in you."

Alia had to appreciate Kara coming out right out with it, instead of beating around the bush. She looked towards Kara, with the two of them sitting down on the sandy beaches next to each other. Alia wrapped her arm around Kara and pulled her in close.

"So, did she give you the, if you hurt my daughter, she'll break your legs, speech," Alia said.

There was a part of Kara where she didn't know whether or not Alia was being serious about that. "No, she just told me to follow what I wanted. And she did mention that she might be in the back of the line if someone hurt you, because there will be others that make me pay for anything that happens."

Alia had to appreciate the bluntness of the situation. The sounds of battle calmed her when she looked at Kara.

"I do want to ask you out on a date and um…do date type things," Kara said. She frowned and grew a bit red around the cheeks. "Of course, I don't know what that means on Earth."

"What does that mean on Krypton?" Alia asked her.

"Hours of deep contemplation, followed by hours of analyzing that contemplation, and a minimum of physical contact," Kara admitted. She could feel Alia's fingers intertwine through her hair and she closed her eyes, allowing Alia's fingers to brush through it.

"So, you're not a fan of the Kryptonian method of dating," Alia said.

Kara raised her eyebrow. "Are you?"

"That sounds dreadfully dull," Alia admitted.

"It is dreadfully dull, which is why I never dated," Kara said. "I was a bit of a misfit, I didn't really fit into the social norms on Krypton and what those people considered to be acceptable."

Kara sighed. She could feel Alia's talented hands skim over the side of her neck. She closed her eyes deeply.

"That doesn't help that I was a natural born Kryptonian, the first one in a long time, and thus I didn't fit into any roles," Kara said. "I'm pretty sure that the fact that I prefer females over males really wouldn't endear me to the Council."

"If that was the same Council who refused to believe that their planet was about to blow up, despite damning evidence, then I think that you could do without there approval, Kara," Alia said.

"Although, if I'm honesty, if you were guy, I'd still like you, it's just the type of person that you are," Kara said. "Of course, I'm not complaining about landing on an island of beautiful women who have a liberated sense of sexuality. It's a wonder that none of them have tried to take me to the side."

"They know that you're mine," Alia whispered in Kara's ear.

That caused Kara to shiver in response. There was something about her voice that made it commanding and it made Kara to bend at her beck and call and do whatever she wanted to do.

"You know that's one of the reasons for us to go to the mainland, so you and I can go out on a proper date," Alia said.

"You mean, you're really considering it?" Kara asked.

"I'm considering it, but I want to make Diana sweat it out for a little bit more," Alia said. They somehow switched positions in the meantime. Kara's fingers ran through Alia's messy dark locks. "And Mother might have a fit that you messed up my hair even more than it does."

"I think that messed up hair makes you look good," Kara said. She couldn't stop, but running her hand through her hair.

"I'm sure that there will be some people that might agree with you, honey," Alia said. Kara smiled at the term of endearment from her.

Kara got up to her feet and smiled. She looked towards Alia. Alia got up to her feet to face her.

"You're extremely beautiful," Kara said breathlessly. "Nothing made on Krypton could ever beat how amazing you were, with their super science and perfect genetic matches."

"And you're proof that was a bunch of bullshit anyway," Alia said. Her eyes skimmed over Kara's body, like she was undressing her. "I don't think that there is a person on Krypton that can be more beautiful than you."

"My mother was beautiful, my aunt was beautiful, and Faora….she was amazing, she might have been another natural born as well," Kara said. Faora never said one way or another what she was.

There was really no time for Kara to go further. She could feel Alia's arms wrap around her and Alia's mouth press against hers. The kiss was extremely intoxicating and there was a hint for something much more.

Kara broke apart from her, in annoyance. The beautiful alien decided to make a snap decision with something.

The other Amazons moved over. They were close to Alia's age or maybe a bit older. They were within a few years of how old she was anyway. Some of them were looking at Kara, Aresia was the most obvious one.

"I think we should take this somewhere more private," Kara said. There was a smile that crossed her face. "You know, so we can talk about what we should do."

"Yes, let's contemplate on our feelings, and analyze them," Alia joked. She grabbed Kara by the hand and pulled her into another mind blowing kiss.

This was essentially a display of power and that was one Kara accepted. She submitted to the passionate kiss of the feisty Amazon Princess. Kara normally wasn't to be dominated, but it was hard not to be dominated by this power.

She was kissed absolutely breathlessly. She was weak in the knees and more importantly, wet in the panties. Alia held her up with a smile.

Alia could see some of the Amazons rush off. That display of power caused many of them to be in need of relief. Whether it was through sex with partners or through sparring, that honestly wasn't her concern.

Alia's concern was Kara. She turned the beautiful blonde towards her and grinned deeply.

"I'm ready," Kara said. She latched arms with Alia.

She felt the rush between both of them when both kicked up into the air. The two of them were up outside of Kara's room.

"Are you sure that you want to go through this?" Alia asked. She opened the door. "I mean, we're going from this for….."

"You ever feel like you want to do something, think about doing it, but regret not doing it?" Kara asked. "If I don't jump on this now, I'm going to regret it later. I want to be your first….your official first."

Alia smiled at Kara. She walked over towards the bed and sat down. She invited Alia to sit next to her.

"Besides, if Artemis didn't interrupt us earlier, we might have done the deed anyway."

That was something that Alia couldn't disagree with.

"I've been meaning to practice some of the binding spells that I've been working on," Alia said.

Kara could not really do nothing, other than shudder. Alia approached her and grabbed her. She was pulled into another panty soaking kiss.

Alia had her pinned down onto the bed. Her hands were folded back behind her head and Alia kissed the ever living daylights out of Kara. Her tongue pushed into the beautiful blonde's mouth.

Kara could feel Alia's hands roam her body. She could touch her pretty much everywhere that she wanted to.

"You won't be needing these for today."

Kara felt her panties give way, being pulled off in Alia's sheer force of will. Her hand skimmed down her body and Kara closed her eyes when Alia continued to work her over. Her fingers kept skimming between Kara's thighs.

Kara breathed in and breathed out heavily. Alia pushed her fingers deep in between her thighs and moved in for the kill.

* * *

Kara was on the bed in a sweaty heap, dripping and covered in juices. Alia hovered over the top of her, feeling how much Alia put her through the paces.

"Recharge your batteries, Kara," Alia said to her.

Kara realized that if she didn't have the watch on, she might have been able to keep up more with her.

"Just consider it an incentive to master your powers for later." Alia told her with a grin over her face.

Alia lay down next to Kara and wrapped her arms tightly around her. Kara could feel her arms strongly wrap around her. Her fingers brushed teasingly against her body.

"So, I think that's helped me clear my mind a little bit," Alia said. Kara closed her eyes and could barely keep the grin off of her face.

"Doesn't sex normally help clear a person's mind?" Kara asked her. Alia laughed musically at Kara.

"Yes, yes, it does," Alia said. She kissed Kara on the top of her head and pulled her mate in tighter towards her. "When you're ready to go again, just tell me."

Kara smiled, she was rather intent to bask in the afterglow of this, at least for now. Alia brought her to new pleasures that her body appreciated. Her heart kept racing more intensely when she thought what Alia could do to her.

* * *

Diana just cooled down from an intense training session. After all of these years, Artemis had a way of putting her through the paces.

The oldest of the three Amazon Princesses just left Artemis's quarters. The aftermath might have been just as intense as the battle itself.

She walked up and Alia made her way up the way. It was obvious that she was walking with a purpose. Diana looked at her and noticed that there was something different with her. She tried to place it, but there was something that she sensed.

"Hey, Diana."

"Alia," Diana said. She could see Kara follow her up the pathway for a moment. "Kara."

"Diana," Alia said.

"Diana," Kara answered.

Diana looked at them both. The two of them had gone off alone and had disappeared for several hours. Suddenly, the pieces started to click in her head.

"You're glowing," Diana said.

"I know I am," Alia said with a cheeky grin. "I figured if I found the Alpha for my pack, we should seal the deal and stabilize the bond as soon as humanly possible."

Diana frowned. She was in two minds about this entire situation. The first and more pressing thing was that she was pretty happy about Alia having secured her mate. That was something that she felt that she should feel above all else.

The other thing and that was something that Diana reminded her of constantly, was that she was a bit upset that she wasn't the one that lead Alia down that next road towards womanhood like she did Donna.

The first maturity had been entirely mental and emotional. That was done by the goddess of love Aphrodite, who pretty much gave all of the girls a very handson version of the talk, even though it was just a really elaborate wet dream all things considered.

The second maturity was something that a mother or older sister guided them through. Diana recalled her encounter with her mother and pretty much taking Donna's innocence. It appeared that Alia didn't want to wait around and be innocent. There was a part of Diana that should be happy regarding that, but there was another part of her that was essentially disappointed beyond all belief.

Conflict reigned supreme in her mind and Diana gave a deep frown when she looked at her sister, who looked back at her.

"So, are you happy for us, Diana?" Alia asked.

"I really am happy for you," Kara said.

"You were just disappointed that you didn't get the chance to deflower Alia like you did me."

Diana jumped up and saw Donna show up. She parted ways with Aresia, who was looking at Kara and Alia with envy. The other younger Amazons watched past and they recognized the glow. They had all been plotting to find their way into the bed of at least one of the Amazon princesses, sooner rather than later, and the youngest princess had a certain amount of bragging rights to getting her in bed.

"I didn't….that wasn't what I meant at all," Diana said. She looked a little red along the cheeks, especially since Donna had pretty much called her bluff and she called it pretty hard.

"Of course, Diana, of course," Donna said with a smile. "You're glowing a lot, it must have been a rather strong bond."

"It was pretty intense," Kara said. "Maybe we can show you sometime."

Donna was rendered speechless at what Kara was saying. Alia turned towards Kara.

"Are you trying to get all of the Amazon Princesses on your scorecard?" Alia asked her.

Kara grinned in response. "Well, I figured…."

Before Kara could continue, the other Amazons backed off. There was a presence on the island. The Amazons both young and old never ceased to be impressed by this particular individual showing up on the island.

The one and only Aphrodite, the goddess of love, turned up. She had a bright smile on her face.

"My goddess, what's the pleasure?" Alia asked.

Aphrodite smiled when she looked at the beautiful young princess. "Today is a day that's special and I think we can all agree that the foundations for something amazing have been laid. The bond between Kara and Alia can be felt all through the island, with how intense that it became."

Kara and Alia turned to each other, smiling. They had gotten the attention of the goddess of love.

"But naturally, since this was your domain, you must have figured that it was coming sooner rather than later," Alia said.

"Smart girl, Athena would be proud of you, she is….all of us are," Aphrodite said. "I knew that it was building up over the past few weeks. There had been other forces that have conspired against it, but the universe has its way of causing things that are meant to be to happen eventually."

Alia couldn't help by smile about this.

"We're happy to finally be together," Kara said. She rested her head on her mate's shoulder lazily, and Alia placed her fingers on Kara's back. "And we're happy to share our gift with all of our sisters, both on this island and beyond."

"I'm certain the opportunity will present itself soon enough," Aphrodite said with her usual warm smile. She turned towards Diana. "Diana, could I have a word with you, for a moment?"

Diana stood up, a bit caught off guard at the Goddess of Love directly asking for her. Any time a goddess asked for someone, it could be interesting. It could also mean some unsettling news for Diana.

Never the less, the oldest Amazon Princess followed Aphrodite and she smiled when she looked over her. "I can feel your heart ache slightly about the fact that you weren't the one to take your sister's innocence."

"I'm disappointed a little bit," Diana admitted. She frowned deeply. "But, that's something that I'm going to have to get over."

"You will get over it, Diana, trust me," Aphrodite informed her. Diana blinked when she stared down at the Goddess of Love. "It was just a matter of stabilizing Kara and Alia's bond first. The circle will be expanded sooner rather than later. You will have your moment, when the time is right."

Diana learned patience. She didn't like patience, she learned it.

"Those things we wait for are always the most rewarding, Princess Diana," Aphrodite informed her. She cupped Diana's face. "You grow more beautiful every day, which could be a blessing as much as a curse. But I'm certain that you will be able to handle any challenge that comes your way, whether they be mortal or god."

Diana wondered if Aphrodite knew something. Never the less, she was let out.

Aphrodite turned towards Kara and Alia, a bright smile crossing her face when she looked them over. "I wish you best of luck in your future relationship and may the circle expand to allow more women to share your love."

She leaned forward and pressed her lips onto Alia's in a matter that made any Amazons watching look awed. Their tongues tangled together for a moment, with Aphrodite exploring Alia's body in all of its beauty and feeling a rush go through her when the kiss had been returned.

Not to be outdone, Kara was given an equally passionate kiss by the Goddess of Love. That caused her toes to curl and set her loins on fire.

Donna shook her head in amusement. "I feel left out."

Alia grinned and pulled her older sister in. "Don't worry, I'm sure that you're going to be included."

The afterglow was something really intense. Donna realized that all of the Amazons were watching her and she also realized about how much she didn't care about that fact. She could see them all looking at her. Aresia especially looked conflicted for some reason.

Kara cleared her throat and that caused Alia's gaze to turn towards her. "Don't forget the real reason why we finally stopped fucking like rabbits."

"I thought you hated rabbits," Alia said.

Kara shrugged. "It was an apt metaphor, even if I think that they are demonic creatures."

"Nothing is as bad as squirrels," Alia responded. She thought that anyone who had the power to control squirrels would be very powerful indeed and could bring the entire world to its knees.

While Diana was amused by the interplay, she figured that they should get to the point. Fortunately for her, Alia noticed Diana's lack of ease at the situation. "I think I've made my decision."

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	5. Decisions

**Chapter Four: Decisions.**

* * *

Hippolyta smiled. She knew that this discussion was bound to happen. She could see Alia, Diana, Donna, and Kara make their way into the throne room. She rose to her feet. Her eyes flickered over Alia and Kara and she could see nothing.

She also saw the gaze that her oldest daughter was giving Kara. It was extremely subtle what she was doing, but it was pretty much Diana glaring daggers at Kara. Hippolyta sighed, she was going to have to pull her daughter aside and give her a long talk. That was not the point now though, the point was that she was curious.

"So, you've made a decision?" Hippolyta asked.

Alia smiled. She was selected as the one that was going to tell her mother this. "We have mother and we've decided that we're going to head to the mainland."

"I figured that would be your decision," Hippolyta said. Her lips curled into a smile in response.

"It wasn't a decision that we all made lightly," Diana said. There was a large part of her that was glad that Alia made that decision. There was also another part of her that wondered if Alia kept the results of her decision from her, mostly out of some kind of spite.

"So, when is the trip?" Donna asked. She could see the eyes of three particular people staring at her and shaking their heads. "What, none of you were going to ask that question, so I figured that I was going to be the one that's going to ask it?"

"Maybe we should leave you behind if you're going to be that way," Diana said. There was a teasing tone in her voice and there was a look in her eyes.

"Mother, Diana's being mean," Donna said with a whine that was not like a fifteen year old girl. Then again, given how emotional some teenage girls tended to go, it was exactly like a fifteen year old girl.

"No one likes a tattletale Donna, and yes, you are all going," Hippolyta said. Donna bounced up and down.

Kara and Alia watched Donna bounce up and down in response. They watched her for a long time. Donna noticed then watching, so she stopped, her cheeks growing a bit red when they flushed in response.

"Oh no, don't stop on our account, please," Kara said.

"Sorry, I'm just excited," Donna said.

"And I have yet to answer Donna's question in all of this," Hippolyta said. "This event should be celebrated."

"As many things on this island are," Kara said. Hippolyta looked at her new Daughter-In-Law. Kara shrugged. "That's really not a complaint mind you, just an observation."

"Well, I can see how you made that observation," Hippolyta said. The Amazons knew how to fight, but they knew how to throw their hair down and have a party. "Tomorrow night, the official announcement will be made, and two days after that, arrangements will be made for you to leave. Rose knows to expect you. Hera has already visited her and filled you in on all of the details."

Alia frowned. "It seems like you knew that I was going to say yes."

"We all thought that it was a distinct possibility," Hippolyta said. "There were more reasons for you to take a vacation from Themscrycira than not to."

Alia frowned.

"I apologize if you think that we were making assumptions on your behalf, that was not our intention," Hippolyta said. She placed her hand on her daughter's shoulder gently. "It was our intention to make the trip as seamless as possible, so there were no difficulties. And we figured that Rose would be the best guide for you all."

Alia smiled, she was not wrong. When it was explained to her that way, she understood.

"The four of us leaving would mandate a huge party," Diana admitted.

'_Diana seems to be a bit frosty around me today, for some reason?' _Kara asked.

'_Well, she's just upset that she wasn't the one to take me,' _Alia thought. She paused when it struck her instantly. This had been done so casually that it didn't even hit her until now what was being done. _'And I guess that we can talk to each other in our heads.'_

Kara was caught completely and totally off guard by this point. She couldn't lie, she seemed to be extremely happy by this point and she was also a bit thrown off. _'I guess that we can, who would have guessed it? I wonder what else we could do?'_

Alia closed her eyes and flicked the switch in Kara's mind that induced sudden pleasure. That caused Kara's to hold herself back.

'_Really, Alia, right in front of your mother?' _Kara asked. She could barely hide the fact that she was going red in the face, never mind her arousal. It was a good thing that she had the watch on because something like that would set off her heat vision.

If Hippolyta had seen something, she did not talk about it.

"Will that be all?" Alia asked her mother like she didn't just completely and utterly mind fuck her mate right in front of her mother.

Hippolyta didn't comment on the look on Kara's face. It did seem like her daughter had discovered one of the perks of their bond.

"Yes, and I congratulate both of you on your successful bonding," Hippolyta said. "With your permission, I believe that we should share this development with our sisters."

Donna didn't want to burst her mother's bubble, but she was pretty sure that most of the island would have known by now given the fact that Alia and Kara ran into a group of young Amazons who couldn't keep their mouths shut if their lives depended on it.

"I don't think that I'd have a problem with that," Alia said. She turned to Kara. "Would you?"

"If you don't have a problem with that, I most certainly don't have a problem with it," Kara said. Her lips curled into a smile. The two of them intertwined fingers and they walked off into the distance.

Kara and Alia left. Diana was about to leave, but Hippolyta stood to her feet.

"Diana, a word with you, if you please," Hippolyta answered. "Donna, you may leave."

Donna looked like she was going to hang around close enough to hear what her mother said, but she did make a bit of a production out of leaving.

"Sit down, Diana," Hippolyta said.

Diana didn't say anything. Her mother had one of those looks on her face and one of those looks could be a fairly frightening look to say the very least. "Mother, what is this all about?"

"You had your heart set on guiding your sister through, didn't you?" Hippolyta asked.

Diana blinked and she opened her mouth and closed it. "Yes, I did."

"Yes, I know you did," Hippolyta answered. "I guided you through and you guided Donna through. But you should know better than anyone else that there are sometimes circumstances that don't get you what you want. I'm certain that you will get your chance with your younger sister to cement the bond that you have. Both of you will."

"I feel like Kara knew that I wanted this, and she took it anyway," Diana said. She cringed when she realized how selfish this sounded. "I mean, she only….."

"There was a reason why she practically crashed at Alia's feet," Hippolyta reminded her oldest daughter. "Symbolism can be a pretty big part of what love is. But while Kara is an Alpha, someone of Alia's power might have more than one Alpha."

Diana was hoping that Alia would be her Alpha, but how her mother was saying things, she was under this assumption that Diana would be a submissive to Alia and a dominant to all of the other girls in the collective, except for her fellow Alphas. After that, it was a matter of circumstances after all.

She would see about that though, Diana would really see about that though.

"There is something else that bothers you, Diana," Hippolyta commented. Diana's gaze met her mother's and she frowned deeply. A few seconds passed and she nodded in affirmation that something else was bothering her.

"Yes, something else bothers me," Diana agreed. She wondered if her mother found out about this. "It has to do with Circe….."

"Yes, Circe," Hippolyta said. Diana couldn't read the tone in her mother's voice. She didn't know whether or not it was angry or curious. "She came here and offered Alia magical training."

"Why would she do something like that other than an attempt to get at me or you?" Diana asked.

"Perhaps not all things are about either of us," Hippolyta said. She looked thoughtful. "To think about that would make as entirely as obsessive as Circe could be at her absolute worst."

Diana had a lot to think about.

"And you and Alia collided on this issue," Hippolyta said. "You spoke for her."

"I figured that I should….." Diana said. She realized nothing she could say was going to make her look good. Therefore the oldest Amazon Princess grew completely and utterly silent. It was best for her not to say anything at this point or after.

"You assumed that you should," Hippolyta said. "Allow me to put it this way, Diana. How would you like it if someone spoke for you regarding a situation? If the roles were reversed and you were Alia's age."

That caused Diana to consider that question. Her mouth twisted into a deeper frown. To be perfectly honest she didn't really think about it and it raised a number of questions. She nodded her head in response.

"I didn't think about it that way," Diana admitted. "How, should I fix this?"

"That's up to you, Diana," Hippolyta said. "There were forces that made sure that Alia and Kara got together."

Diana rightly interpreted forces to mean goddesses. She frowned. She and Alia were going to have to have a long talk. Things had been cordial with them, almost formal, and Diana honestly didn't know what to think about it. It caused her a great deal of nerves to be honest.

"What about Circe?" Diana asked.

"Worry about other matters, Circe will not dare try anything," Hippolyta said. "After her last time, she is being kept on a leash by Hera."

* * *

"So, I thought about it, and I decided that I was going to take the trip after all," Alia said. She placed her hands on her hips. "But, it wasn't something that was etched in stone, that I was going to go, and things like that."

"Yes, Alexandra, I realize that," Lily commented. "But, we needed to prepare on the off chance that you did accept. And you do want to meet your twin sisters, don't you?"

"Aren't they technically my cousins?" Alia asked.

"Technically they're both," Lily said. She offered herself a long sigh. "Rose and I….we experienced with one of the rituals to protect you and it resulted in an unintended side effect. Magic can lead to things like that. But, Amanda and Emily, I'm sure that they will be over the moon to meet you."

"Well, I'm sure that they would be interesting to meet, if what Rose has told me, were true," Alia said. "And I suppose that I have to deal with….certain things in that world."

"If you're referring to a trip to Gringotts to transfer your cold and move your assets around, then yes, that's what's in order," Lily said. "While the Potter assets are a drop in the hat when compared to the Evans family assets, they can still be extremely valuable. And the goblins, if you pay them enough money, they're masters of discretion. You just got to pay them a rate that you know that no one in the Ministry will ever pay to get that discretion removed."

"Fortunately the Ministry is in chaos," Alia said. She seemed intrigued by that. "And this is really the best to go over because of Dumbledore dying in his sleep."

Whether or not Dumbledore did die in his sleep or there was something more sinister, Alia didn't know. If Lily knew, she certainly wasn't saying a single word about it. It was one of those things that was a bit of a mystery.

"Yes, you should get your hands on that Potter family gold, before someone else does," Lily said. "I suspect that you might want to leave them a knut to remember you by."

Alia looked at her mother with a raised eyebrow and she looked rather curious about this.

"It's a rather insulting thing for hardline purebloods dear," Lily informed her daughter. "And they're the type of people that you want to go out of your way to thumb their nose at. They think that they rule that world, but they're just pretenders. They only are allowed a little bit of power, because it keeps them from causing any damage in the real world."

Only a Gryffindor fool would think that all of the hardline purebloods worked for Voldemort. There were still some left in the world, although their numbers lessened.

"They can barely sustain that world because they've been freezing new blood out and it's causing them more problems," Lily said. "Of course, not every single Muggleborn has the capabilities to do anything worthwhile in that world."

Alia nodded in response. She had a question.

"What about this Society?" Alia asked Lily.

"They have pockets all over the world," Lily explained to their daughter. "They are under many different names, far too many of them to be announced. There are different leaders all over the world. They are beyond several other shadow groups as well. Their members date back to the days of Rowena Ravenclaw."

Lily paused for a second and continued.

"She founded most recent branch of the society in that world," Lily narrated to Alia. "She might not have been the first person to think of a secret society. She saw some of the changes coming with magical users. The founding of Hogwarts brought magical users closer together, but at the same time, it moved them open to be underneath a magical government. The magical government worked side by side with the standard government until three hundred years ago when they broke apart. This was when the usage of memory charms were made legal."

Alia wrinkled her nose. She hated the fact that those people could wipe people's memories at will. To her, the mind was a sacred thing.

"But, it's getting harder for them to hide, isn't it?" Alia asked.

"It's getting harder to hide, because the hardliners who run that world are becoming fewer and further between," Lily said. "The war with Voldemort and the aftermath depleted the blood purist population. In another generation, purebloods we become even more of the minority of that world."

"I see," Alia agreed. Her frown deepened when she thought about that. "And what lengths are they going to do to hold onto their world?"

"Any means necessary, laws will be made to restrict the movements of those of non-magical, non-accepted families, of magical creatures, of anyone who didn't fit their perfect world," Lily said. She spoke the obvious point to Alia. "I'm sure they want to start goose stepping side by side any day now."

"What's the society and their role in all of this?" Alia asked her.

"They are in position to pick up the pieces when that particular house of cards crumbles," Lily said. "The names and players have shifted because of what happened. Our agent is pretty deep inside the Ministry. Her family has part a part of the society for a long time."

Alia nodded. She had many more questions. She could see Lily flicker.

"And you're time grows short, doesn't it?" Alia asked Lily.

"Yes, it does, Rose will be happy to answer any and every question you might have when you get back," Lily said. "And congratulations on your bonding."

"Thanks," Alia said. She frowned. "Diana seemed a bit disappointed she wasn't the one, though."

"I'm sure you can find a way to make her get over her disappointment," Lily said. "Kara came to you for a reason. Symbolism is a big part of romance. Didn't she practically crash at your feet?"

Alia could barely keep the smile from crossing her face. It was something of a dream when that happened. It might have took a dream to get Kara and Alia together, but it had been worth the wait.

"I better go, we're having a celebration tonight," Alia said. "Don't worry, I'll see you in the flesh really soon."

Whether or not Lily heard a word, that was left into the mist. Alia watched her leave.

"I just missed your mother, didn't I?"

Alia turned around and saw Kara there. Kara smiled when she rushed over Alia and embraced her in a tight hug. Her arms wrapped around her.

"Yes, you just missed her," Alia informed her. "But, she's always here. Don't worry, she approves of you."

"That's always a good thing," Kara agreed. She would have much preferred to come face to face to Lily in person.

"And there will be plenty of other opportunities for you to talk to her, because I'm going to find a way to restore her back to life," Alia said.

"I thought that you said that no magic can restore the dead?" Kara asked.

"And it can't," Alia agreed. "But, there's just one problem, my mother isn't dead."

She wasn't dead, but she wasn't alive. Lily Evans-Potter was in some state of limbo. She hovered in between the worlds, with no way out.

Kara could tell that Alia was having some trouble reconciling this in her mind. She reached over and gripped her gently around the hand.

"You're going to find a way," Kara said.

Alia smiled, she knew that she was going to find a way. That was one thing that she had some faith in. She was going to find a way, one way or another.

* * *

Hippolyta made her way up to the top of a stage like area. One thing people could say about the Queen of the Amazons without any hesitation was that she knew how to get the attention of all of the people around her on her.

She cleared her throat and the Amazons looked towards her.

"Many of you have been brought here after a rough past life that you have lived," Hippolyta said. "Many of you have been rough, ragged, and you didn't think that you could heal. And in some ways, we never heal. And in other ways, our hardships make us stronger. We grow up on an island that could be considered Paradise. It is a shield from the outside of the world, but even paradise can have its drawbacks."

Whether or not the people around her believed what she was saying, that honestly didn't matter. What really did matter was fact that she believed in it.

"I've slowly come to a conclusion, not all of us can stay on this island forever," Hippolyta commented. There was a round of skeptical whispers. "And indeed, a few of us have braved the outside world, for better or for worse. For the longest time, women have been treated as second class citizens, although there were many males who were offered the same curiosity as some of the most downtrodden women. Prejudice is sadly a part of humanity, and will always be a part. All we can do is offer a more enlightened education along the way."

Alia smiled. That world was the worst of the worst. There were several magnificent magical creatures which sadly got pushed aside by the wand wavers. She hated to admit it, but they could get really awful at the worst possible times. The girl stroked her fingers through her hair.

"Themyscira will be sending a few representatives to the main land, to Man's World, to scout the ever changing environment," Hippolyta commented. There was a long pause when she considered it. "I know you all might consider my treatment to be favorable, but I can assure you that my daughter Diana has been groomed to be the best female for the job."

"It's not a responsibility that I'll take lightly," Diana said. "And if any Amazon has a problem with my role as a diplomat, I will gladly fight for it."

The two Amazons who could beat Diana, Artemis and Hippolyta, did not have a problem. Actually very few of the Amazons honestly had a problem. Even those who would have liked the job and resented the possible favoritism would have to agree that Diana was the best women for the job.

"I trust that each and every one of you will also support my daughter Alia as she makes her return to Britain," Hippolyta said.

This was actually more controversial than Diana's appointment. The Amazons, some of them, had dealings with the world of wand wavers in the past. Some of their leaders had left an extremely bad taste in their mouth.

"I know that all of you will worry, but they expect a girl that is a fair bit younger than me," Alia said.

She had plans to make sure that they would not be looking for Alexandra Audrey Potter again. Then again, her hair turned black when she was adopted on the island, where it was previously red, so she already had a way to distinguish herself.

"And I will do the Amazon sisterhood honor when I return back to the place of my birth," Alia said. "I hope that I serve as an inspiration to pretty much everyone, where if I can find closure to what happened to me, all of us can find closure."

There were some cheers.

"Yes, I do agree," Hippolyta said. "Many of us carry around the weight of our past demons way too much later. It is time to face them, whether or not we wish to deny what happened when we were reborn."

Hippolyta went through a similar crucible herself. She didn't want to tell her daughters of this, because her demons before she was blessed by the goddesses to found this safe haven were fairly great.

"Tonight is a night of celebration for us all, and we should send my daughters out with style," Hippolyta said.

It was amazing how much the Queen of the Amazons switched tracts. Donna smiled, her mother sure did know how to get people excited.

"So, they're leaving you behind, aren't they?" Aresia asked Donna. Donna was caught off guard by that statement.

"No, I'm coming with them," Donna said. "My role just isn't as grand as Diana's diplomat role and Alia's grand return to the world of stick using idiots."

"And that means that she's coming with them as well," Aresia said. She could see Kara and Alia talking and she glared at them.

"There's nothing wrong with Kara," Donna protested.

"She shouldn't be here, her ship crashed on this island, she wasn't brought here for a reason," Aresia said. "She didn't experience any hardships like some of us did."

"Well, I was born on this island and I didn't have that bad of a life, are you saying that I shouldn't belong here?" Donna asked, frostily.

Aresia realized what she said and she shook her head. "Donna, that's not what I meant, I swear…."

"Sounds like that to me," Donna said.

"Look, I'm sorry, but she hasn't been through what we have, just because she was chosen by Alia, everyone expects to have the royal treatment," Aresia said. "It has to be all about Kara, doesn't it?"

"She didn't have any hardships, other than her entire planet exploding, and her losing everything that she held dear," Donna replied calmly. "Let's face it, you're jealous that she jumped the line ahead of you."

"I'm not jealous of her," Aresia said. She didn't think that Kara was anything special at all.

She jumped the line and got in bed with the youngest Amazon princess. There was a group of young Amazons plotting to her first and Aresia thought that she was going to be in the front of the line, at least until Kara showed up.

"You're doing an awful good impression of someone who is, then," Donna said.

Artemis made her way over and looked at the two girls. "Is there a problem?"

"No there isn't," Aresia said. She could see Kara and Alai dancing and she barely kept the scowl off of her face. "I just have a bit of a headache, and I need to go to bed…so goodnight."

Aresia stormed off, which got her fair share of looks.

"Just a disagreement," Donna said to Artemis.

"It happens to the best of us," Artemis agreed. "I'm certain that some Amazons are disappointed at what happened regarding Kara. We can tend to be fairly competitive and that was not just with fighting as well."

"Yes, I know that," Donna said. "And Aresia has lived a hard life….seeing her entire village burned to the ground and what happened to her mother in front of her eyes. That's enough to screw with a woman's head."

"Yes, but that's why we are brought here," Artemis told Donna. "Even though she didn't come here through conventional methods."

Donna raised her eyebrow.

"That's for your mother to divulge, she has told no one, not even Aresia," Artemis said.

Donna was morbidly curious now, but she knew better than anyone that now was not the time nor the place for such investigations. She would figure out things on her own when the time was right and not a second before.

Diana and Alia were making polite conversation with each other. Kara was with them and Diana was acting rather calm and cool with her.

'_Seems like Aresia isn't the only one that's butthurt that Kara jumped the line,' _Donna thought, shaking her head.

She was glad that Diana didn't pick up on that thought in her mind.

'_I'm trying to figure out what I did to Diana,' _Kara thought.

'_It's nothing, you just accidentally wounded her pride, she'll get over it,' _Alia thought to Kara.

Kara frowned, she wondered how she could wound her pride, then she got it.

"So, Rose is willing to take us in?" Diana asked.

"It was pretty much arranged before I accepted," Alia said. There was a calm tone to her voice. "It's a really good thing that I accepted, isn't it?"

"I figured that you would, after some time," Diana said.

"Yes, you and everyone else," Alia said. She sighed when she looked at her. "Guess, that's a pretty logical assumption to make."

"Did you really want to go back or are you trying to appease me?" Diana asked her.

"I do want to meet my twin sisters," Alia said. "They have begged to visit me, but Rose thought that it would be better for me to come to them, if I had the chance."

"Why couldn't they visit here anyway?" Diana asked. "How much trouble can a pair of five year old girls be?"

"Someone is having very suppressed memories about how my magic was at that age," Alia said. She gave Diana a slightly genuine smile. "Or how Donna was at that age."

Diana frowned, that would have to be the case. She had her moments according to her mother. Not that Diana remembered them, because she tried to block them out of her mind for obvious reasons.

"So, are we visiting Kara's cousin on this trip as well?" Diana asked.

Kara looked at Diana and she shrugged. "I'm sure that we'll get around to it, but she's in good hands right now. I know that Alia has family in Smallville as well….."

"And some property and assets, on both the Evans and the Potter lines as well," Alia told her. "At least that's what my mother tells me. That's on our list of things to do. But, let's get the Britain stuff out of the way first."

Kara thought that Alia sounded just like her when she got a medical examination. She had a feeling of let's get this over with regarding the Wizarding World. Given what she heard from Lily, even if it was second hand through Alia, she couldn't really be surprised about the fact that she wanted to get out of that particular world as soon as possible. Kara could not blame her, she could not blame her at all.

* * *

Alia was about to pack in her room, for the trip. She saw Circe sitting on her bed the moment that she showed up.

"You know, it's customary to announce when you're going to arrive before you are doing so," Alia said. She looked at the Goddess of Magic.

"I wanted to see the look on your face when I showed up," Circe replied. Alia corked her eyebrow when she looked Circe in the eyes. "Kind of like that look."

"So, why are you here?" Alia asked. She spoke in a calm and respectful tone, but there was a dangerous look dancing in her eyes as well.

"I wished to check up on your and congratulate you on your bonding," Circe said. "I have to think that you've chosen wisely. Diana is just going to deal with the fact that she didn't get to personally guide you through the change."

Circe tapped herself on the chin.

"And if you really think about it, Donna was the one that got pushed out of line, and she's not complaining about it," Circe said. "Hippolyta led Diana, Diana led Donna, and Donna should have by all logical led you. But she's acting rather calm about it. Because she understands that if there's a bond that needs to be forged, then her personal preferences shouldn't be forced onto you."

Alia looked towards Circe with a frown. "Your point being?"

"My point is that she should be happy for you that you found true love," Circe said. "That is extremely remarkable. I agree with Hippolyta on very little, but I can attest to the fact that symbolism plays a huge part in what love truly is."

Alia nodded.

"And as you can guess, I am not merely here to offer you my support in your union with Kara," Circe said. "I will remind you that the offer to train you still stands. I have a lot to teach you."

"And I appreciate the offer, I honestly do," Alia said. She sounded so sincere that Circe knew that she appreciated her offer. "But I'm honestly good for now."

"Very well, but the door remains open," Circe said. She could sense someone else approaching. "Do remember that I have a debt to you in ways that you might not yet understand."

Before Alia could say anything else, Circe was gone. A few moments was passed. There was a knock on the door and that caused Alia to stand up.

"It's unlocked," Alia informed the woman on the other side of the door.

Diana opened the door and she stepped inside.

"What were you doing?" Diana asked her curiously.

"A friend stopped by to say goodbye, you must have just missed her," Alia said.

Diana bit her tongue when she heard that statement. She didn't want to rock the boat too much after what happened. The oldest Amazon Princess had a shrewd idea who stopped by to say goodbye and she honestly didn't approve of it.

She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Alia in an embrace.

"I'm sorry," Diana said.

Alia could tell that Diana didn't want to elaborate. They were going to have a more detailed conversation later, but right now, they needed to pack. There would be a fairly interesting trip starting tomorrow morning.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	6. Encounters

**Chapter Five: Encounters:**

* * *

Rose Evans, a young woman in her twenties, returned home. There were many challenges in life. Running a business, for example, was a huge challenge. That challenge was about as hard as managing a pair of feisty five year old redhead twins, who seemed to make it their mission in life to cause as much hell as possible. While Rose wouldn't trade them for anything in the world, they could be a bit of a handful sometimes.

The door opened and a pair of redhead blurs shot out of nowhere.

"Mummy we missed you!" one of the redhead twins said, when she threw herself at Rose's leg.

"Mandy, don't do that, I need to greet her too," the other twin commented.

"Get off of it Emmy, you're not the only one allowed to be excited," Mandy commented. She shook her head.

"I hope the two of you have behaved," Rose said. She scooped up Amanda and Emily in her arms and lifted them up off of the ground. Both of them giggled, but they stopped when Rose gave them a stern expression. "Because I don't think that I can afford to put another babysitter through therapy."

"But we've been good!" Amanda protested. Her mother/aunt looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Well this time, we've been good, there were all of the times that we weren't good, but this time we were good. I swear, we didn't do anything, this time!"

Emily sighed, being the more subdued of the two twins. "That's why you can never trick anyone…because you say way too much."

"Being a bad liar is not a bad thing," Rose said. She looked around for the babysitter. She hoped that her bad feeling was misplaced. This wouldn't be the first time the twins sent one of their babysitters into a pocket dimension. "Oh, Mary, there you are."

The sixteen year old girl showed up with a smile on her face. She had the wholesome look, like warm milk and apple pie, although she was fairly attractive. Her hair was tied into a ponytail and she was wearing a plaid sweater and a modest skirt that came down to her knees. She wore a pair of glasses that covered her brown eyes.

"My daughters didn't give you any trouble, did they, Mary?" Rose asked. The twins looked at her.

"No trouble at all, Ms. Evans," Mary said in a sunny voice. "In fact, they were absolutely swell."

The old time attitude of Mary was refreshing, although Rose could see how it might wear on a person.

"I'm glad that things went great," Rose said. She could see the bubbly smile on the teenager's face. "And if you're available next Friday, do you think that you could sit for me again?"

"It would be an honor, Ms. Evans," Mary said. She practically was bouncing with joy when she rocked herself back and forth.

There was a knock on the door where Mary gathered her things. Rose took out her purse to pay her and made her way to open the door.

Rose opened the door and she looked pleased. "Alia, it's good to see you again, and you've….wow you've grown up!"

She was caught off guard by Alia standing at the door. She was extremely beautiful. She reminded her of Lily with dark hair in a few ways, but a look at her saw that there were other differences. There was no mistaken those green eyes that she had on her.

"It's good to see you again, Aunt Rose," Alia said. She pulled Rose in a hug. "You remember Donna and Diana."

"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you again," Rose said. She smiled when she looked at the two Amazon Princesses and there were hands to be shaken all around.

"The pleasure is all ours, Ms. Evans," Diana said.

A blonde Rose didn't recognize stepped out. The fact she and Alia seemed to be close made Rose put two and two together fairly quickly.

"This is Kara, she's my bonded," Alia said.

Rose sensed a bit of frostiness coming from Diana and she could see why. Lily mentioned to her that Diana had her heart set on being Alia's first, and she might not be the only Amazon to do so.

"I'll just be out on my way," Mary said. She stopped and she could see the tall and beautiful woman standing in the door. At her current height, Mary came up to the young woman's chest, which gave her an interesting view that made her blush. "I'm sorry…."

"I'm Alia, Rose's niece," Alia commented.

"Oh, yes, that's right, I'm such a scatterbrain," Mary said. "I mean, ah shucks, she did mention that you were arriving, but I didn't….I didn't expect to run into like this. I mean that you're so beautiful."

Kara gave a grin and even Diana and Donna looked amused. Mary was shaking her head frantically in a desperate attempt to try and reboot her brain.

"Here you go, Mary," Rose said, figuring that she would do her duty and spare the girl from any more amusement. She handed the bills into Mary's head. She was so distracted by Alia that she didn't try and protest getting paid and much to Rose's surprise, she didn't protest the little bit extra that Rose tried to give her. "And we're still on for next Friday night."

"Yeah, I'll be there," Mary said. "It was a pleasure meeting you Alia, and…"

"Kara, Donna, and Diana," Alia commented casually, pointing the three girls out in turn. Mary was nodding up and down frantically in response.

"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet all of you, but I need to get going….school project to do, it's on um, biology," Mary said. She could feel her heart jump.

"Well, I hope to get to know you better Mary and maybe I'll see you around," Alia said. She backed off for a moment, with Donna and Kara barely keeping a straight face. Even Diana looked amused, when Mary exited stage left, trying to keep her dignity mostly intact.

Alia turned towards Rose. "So, where are my twin sisters?"

"Right in the next room, being quiet," Rose said. She frowned. "That worries me."

"It always worried me when Donna was quiet," Diana said. Donna gave her sister a look, folding her arms and she scowled at her. Diana responded by patting her on the head.

Amanda and Emily were practically peeking out from behind the corner of the kitchen and Rose cleared her throat, which caused the twins to stand up and skid into the room.

"So, she's our sister, isn't she?" Emily asked.

"I'm Alexandra, or Alia now," Alia told her.

"Good, you're here, you owe us for all of the birthdays and Christmases you missed," Amanda said, folding her arms. That caused Emily to smack her sister on the elbow.

"Don't mind her, she was really excited to see that you're finally here," Emily said. "So is it really true that you live on an enchanted island like something out of a fairy tale?"

Alia prepared herself for the twenty questions game. She could see Diana lock eyes with her and Alia now knew what Diana had to go through every time Alia had a million questions for her. This game was a fairly interested one.

The two twin sisters had a million questions, some of them absurd, and Donna and Kara looked fairly amused. They were surprised that Alia had a fair amount of patience.

* * *

Alia was going to need more than a little bit of patience for her next trip. She needed to tie up some loose ends in the world of magic and wonder and one of those loose ends had to be on a trip to the Gringotts magical bank.

It was during a time of the day where there weren't that many people around. She had the key that Rose presented her. James had given Dumbledore his key along with his Invisibility Cloak. That was something that Alia considered getting back, but considering that she knew spells to make herself invisible better than some stupid clunky cloak, that wasn't high on the priority list.

Alia had made an appointment to the back, under the Evans name. The woman crossed the desk. There were goblins mulling around the bank, doing goblin things. Alia smiled when she walked over to the front desk.

A rather bored looking goblin surveyed her over his book, a frown appearing on his face. "Yes, might I help you."

"My name is Alexandra Audrey Potter, and I'm coming to reclaim what is mine," she said, placing her hand on the desk. The goblin looked up her with a raised eyebrow. "You don't believe me."

"If you were lying, I would know it," the goblin said. "And there are security enchantments within this bank that would prevent fraud. Not that it doesn't stop idiot wand wavers from trying. They always think that they could win with their magical tricks. It would take a miracle and some outside help to lay claim to what doesn't belong to you. And even then, it would be borderline impossible."

Alia could tell straight away that the goblins were a proud race that didn't like to be defrauded.

She also noticed that the goblins didn't make a big deal out of who she was. She was known, but they obvious didn't care. Well they cared in the sense that she was a highly valued customer, but not because of some Girl-Who-Lived nonsense, which suited Alia fine.

"I've learned that one of the Potter vault keys is in the hands of Albus Dumbledore," Alia told the goblin.

"It was in the hand of Albus Dumbledore," the goblin commented. "And there's a matter of Albus Dumbledore's will….that caused a fair deal of controversy."

"What kind of controversy?" Alia asked. She figured the goblin wouldn't mention it.

"You need to be taken to an office to be de-briefed," the goblin said. He called for another goblin. "Sersi, could you take our client into the office?"

Alia was actually relieved that the goblin in question didn't yell her name across the lobby. That would have put her in a bad place to be honest. The female goblin crossed the lobby and approached Alia with a smile crossing her face.

"This way," she commented. She was a fairly attractive creature, which meant she was ugly by the standards of the goblins.

The young goblin princess lead Alia down the hallway into one of the offices. The door was latched behind them.

"So, Dumbledore is dead," Alia said. "The rumors are true."

"It was a long verification process for us to ensure that he was dead before we would even consider opening the will," Sersi confirmed. "We goblins tend to be through and the way Dumbledore died, it seemed sudden and convenient. It was when his popularity was at an all time low and there was more pressure on him to bring the Girl-Who-Lived home than ever before."

Alia's nose wrinkled in response at that statement. The goblin princess looked Sersi directly in the eye.

"Not a fan, are you?" Sersi asked. "Wand wavers have their way with hyphenated titles. The Ministry is having their problems. Without Dumbledore, they are running around without a purpose….not to mention the pureblood population has been cut down, and those that remain still won't concede their power."

"Stubborn to the very end," Alia said.

"There are rumors, whispers, that the Ministry is going to lose all of their power and there is going to be a representative of the former government hired as a liason to all magical beings from the office government," the goblin princess stated.

"And what's the perspective of the magical creatures regarding that?" Alia asked.

"Mixed, some of us are adopting a wait and see attitude, others are for it, and others aren't necessarily for it, but they agree that it's not going to be much worse than the card we had to deal with," the goblin princess said to the Amazon princess. "The Ministry has fallen faster than the Roman Magical Empire, but it was bound to happen sooner or later."

The goblin princess shook her head.

"My apologies," she commented. "I didn't mean to go off on a political tangent. You are here for a reason and you need to be informed about Dumbledore's will."

"Yes," Alia said. "I had come here to withdrawal all of my gold for Gringotts. Although, I'm wondering what kind of effect that's going to have now."

Sersi placed her hand on her chin and looked extremely thoughtful regarding that point. "For the goblin nation and other like magical creatures, it is absolutely negligible, for the wand wavers, it's pretty catastrophic. Well for the ones that threw all of their eggs in one basket and didn't know enough to make investments outside of their bubble."

Alia read that as it would.

"And Dumbledore left you as his sole heir as well," Sersi said. "That's why we investigated his death so thoroughly, before we even considered enacting his will. There was a chance that Dumbledore could have faked his death in an attempt to bring you home."

"Well, it was his death that brought me home," Alia admitted.

"Yes, that's what we were afraid of, because to the Ministry, you could be a status symbol to save their broken world," Sersi replied. "Although they expected someone much younger than you showing up."

Alia wasn't taking any chances through, despite that fact.

"What would I be accepting with Dumbledore's will?" Alia asked.

"You would be getting a moderate amount of gold," Sersi informed him. "You would also be receiving some debts the Dumbledore family had and a heap of problems that go along with it."

"And Dumbledore doesn't have any living relatives, does he?" Alia asked.

"A brother, Aberforth," Sersi confirmed. "A brother who disowned himself from the Dumbledore family based off of an incident that happened many years ago, so Dumbledore didn't make him a beneficiary of his will."

"And I suppose that claiming Dumbledore's inheritance might shine a light on the fact that I'm back," Alia said.

"Yes, it will," Sersi confirmed. "If you don't show up within the end of the thirty days, the will reverts to the Ministry."

"And what day are we on today?" Alia asked.

"Day twenty nine," Sersi informed her. Alia responded with a whistle and nodded.

"That's what I thought," Alia commented. "So, the Ministry gets the will and all of the problems that it has…"

"Yes, they do," Sersi said. "Dumbledore borrowed a lot of money to fund two wars from some unsavory people overseas. He got a few donations, your grandparents on your father's side being big backers. But most of his followers were not well to do, so Dumbledore had to get help elsewhere. He must have justified that it was done for the greater good, although Dumbledore has never publically said those words. Whether or not he privately thought them, that's another matter entirely."

"So, the Ministry can deal with Dumbledore's will," Alia said. "and the Potter vault….."

"Yes, you can transfer it, to one of the other Gringotts banks, or one of our mundane counterparts in the United States, Canada, France, Switzerland, or keep it in the UK," Sersi said. That caused Harry to raise an eyebrow in surprise. "The goblin nation do not live on the Galleon alone, we have our hands in standard banks as well."

Harry figured that fact out.

"We employ mostly Squibs and Muggleborns to run that end of the operations," Sersi said. "Those mundane banks are a more lucrative venture and we can afford a higher interest rate. The last goblin rebellion and treaty really crippled the magical end of the operation, to be perfectly honest."

Sersi brought out a stack of documents and placed them in front of Alia. "If you didn't show up before your eleventh birthday, the Ministry could claim this gold."

Even if the Potter gold was a drop in the hat to the Evans family fortune, Alia could not allow that to happen.

"I want everything transferred to one of your American branches," Alia informed her. "Do you have anything in Kansas?"

"Yes, we have a Mundane Gringotts Branch in a little town known as Smallville," Sersi informed her. "Would that work?"

Alia flashed a smile at the young goblin princess. "That would be perfect, actually."

The Goblin Princess beamed at her in response. "Oh, and do you think that you could leave a knut in my vault?"

Sersi understood perfectly what Alia was trying to accomplish right away. A knut was a big insult for the pureblood people and it could be framed that Lily was the one that left the insult, before investing all of the Potter family gold into the Evans family.

Alia was glad that this was done. The Ministry could have Dumbledore and all of the foreign collection agencies that were going to end up shaking them down.

"I also want one final thing from you," Alia said. "And I'm willing to pay as much money as necessary to get this done."

"What do you wish?" Sersi asked.

"I want Alexandra Audrey Potter to be declared dead to the world," Alia informed her.

"Yes, she can be, once the transfer is done, and I'm sure that you want a new identity created as well, in the mundane world at least," Sersi said.

"Alia Evans would work out nicely," Alia informed her.

"Very well," Sersi agreed. Gringotts was going to make a fair amount of fees and she was going to get a nice little commission bonus off of this. That made her extremely happy. "So, if you're just to sign here, you can be on your way."

Sersi presented Alia with the proper documentation and she sighed it. All she had to do was sit back now and wait for the magic to happen.

* * *

"And I really don't know why you did what you did."

Kara met Alia outside of Gringotts and the two of them went into London to see the sights. They were unfortunately heading off to shop, to get some clothes. They borrowed some clothes from Rose so they didn't look too conspicuous being out like this.

Given that they were two fairly tall girls and they could pass for older teens, despite being thirteen and fourteen respectfully. The two of them walked side by side, hand in hand.

Alia could see that the two of them were getting some cross looks from the other people there. There was an old biddy type of woman that looked towards them like she was mortally and completely offended.

"You would think that they never saw two women holding hands with each other," Alia said with a sigh. "So, what don't you know what I did?"

"Get your cold, I mean compared to your holdings on Themyscira, along with the Evans family fortune, that is really a drop in the bucket," Kara said. "In fact, one could say that amount of money is more than enough."

"It is," Alia agreed. "But I don't want certain parties to get their hands on it and use it to continue to oppress magical creatures."

"It's really awful some of the things they do," Kara commented. She clenched Alia's arm tight in response and Alia smiled when she pulled Kara close to her.

"Yes it is," Alia agreed in response. Her eyes twinkled with delight when her Kara was close to her. "But, I think that I might have helped get the ball rolling to them for something better."

"You think that, do you?" Kara asked. She could see a bright and shining light through Alia's eyes and it was hard not to be inspired by that.

Alia thought that she did, at least that was her assumption. You knew what people said about assumptions.

Kara and Alia moved into the clothes store. Alia shook her head, when she went into a gaggle of women who were all too excited to be shopping. Kara looked like she had swallowed something completely sour.

"Oooh, I have to have this!" one of the girls squealed in a pitch that made Kara glad that the watch toned down her super hearing.

'_Can you believe them?' _Kara asked.

Alia shrugged her shoulders in response. _'Everyone has their passions. We should respect that, I guess.'_

They got a look at their clothes and made their way into the changing room. Kara looked at Alia when she tried on some underwear. It was lacy and it fit around the ample curves that she was already developing.

"If I grow too much more, it's going to be a bit snug," Alia said. Her breasts looked about ready to spill out of her top when she shifted.

"Turn around, so I can see you from the other side," Kara said. Alia looked over at her. "I swear, I'm not trying to check out your ass."

"I'm disappointed there," Alia said. She turned around and she bent over. "I don't know how people wear underwear at all. It's hard to really move in it."

"Well, if you had your way, you would walk around completely naked," Kara said. Alia turned around and stripped herself naked to try on some more undergarments. "And I would have nothing wrong about that."

"Unfortunately there are a lot of people who seem to have a real problem with the naked body," Alia said. She closed her eyes. "But in some cases, I suppose that it's a good idea people are wearing clothes."

Kara cringed when she frowned at the thought of it. "Point well taken."

"I don't have any body image issues, but I'm sure some people would be upset if I didn't wear clothes," Alia said. She took a calm breath and a smile. "And I'm sure that there will be some people that might like it too much."

That caused Kara to go into a burst of giggles.

One agonizing hour later, they were able to find some clothes that looked halfway decent. Money wasn't really a problem with the vast amount of resources Alia had at her disposal. That being said, paying that much for a pair of jeans was just a bit too much.

The two of them stepped back with each other, with their purchases.

"So, how about lunch?" Alia asked her.

"Do you know of any good places to eat around here?" Kara asked her.

"Rose recommended a couple of places that we could try out," Alia informed her. Kara nodded by her side. "We just got to be bold enough to take the plunge."

Kara thought that she was willing enough to try some new and daring things. She could not wait for her first official date with her girlfriend now that she survived her shopping ordeal.

"So, is Diana still upset?" Kara asked. Alia looked at her. "I know, I hate bringing that up about as much as the next person but….."

"I think she's more disappointed than anything," Alia offered her in response. "I'm going to have to have a long talk with her, and smooth things over. But today's not about her, today is our day."

With a firm statement like that, there was pretty much no way that Kara could honestly say no. She took Alia's hand and the two girls were to enjoy lunch and a movie. It was an entirely brave new world for both of them and they were glad that they didn't embarrass themselves that much.

* * *

Amelia Bones heard a long time ago that working at the Ministry of Magic was a life shortener. There was a study done that indicated that those who didn't hold a job at the Ministry might live a bit longer, than those who did work at the Ministry.

She didn't know how true that was, but she knew that she was going to be busy for the next few days, never mind the next few weeks or months.

Amelia got the news. A tip had been sent to the Ministry about a body that was found in a creek of a young girl, who was of magical heritage.

It didn't take them long to conclude that the young girl in question was Alexandra Audrey Potter. That was another shot across the brow to the Ministry. There had been a lot of deaths in the magical world as of the past number of months. There were many more than Amelia would have liked to count or indeed, many more than she would have liked to remember.

This might have been the final death knell for their world. At least if you heard some of the crusty old purebloods that remain bemoan about it.

Amelia made her way to a chamber on the other side of her office. There were a few people in the Ministry who had been working from the shadows and preparing them for this inevitable transition period. It might have been hundreds of years in the making, but the moment that Voldemort took power, the ball got rolling down the hill.

There had been dark lords in Great Britain in the past. Every country in the world hat their own dark lords, but none had reached a prolific level of insanity that Lord Voldemort reached. Amelia's lips curled into an obvious frown that was completely obvious. She shook her head when she brushed her fingers over a window.

On the other side of the window, Rose Evans appeared.

"So, it's happened, hasn't it?" Amelia asked. "Alexandra has been declared dead. I never thought that this day would actually happen."

"Well, the fact it's happened, we prepared for this moment, although she didn't waste any time, did she?" Rose asked.

"No, she didn't…the Ministry is running around without a purpose," Amelia answered. "Thankfully, I'm not liable for Dumbledore's will personally. There are others in the Ministry that aren't so lucky."

"That will really was a poison apple, looks nice, but it is rotten on the inside," Rose continued. "I don't know what Dumbledore was thinking when he left someone with those responsibilities. It would have wiped out the Potter family vault."

"I think he either gone senile or thought that he was teaching Alexandra a lesson about building herself up from nothing," Amelia thought. "I'm certain Dumbledore might have had his reasons."

Amelia was smacked with that one. That was what a lot of Dumbledore's strongest supporters said to justify some of the more insane things that he did. Amelia couldn't believe that she had used those words in particular.

"I can't believe that came out of my mouth," Amelia said.

"You heard it so much from the cult of Albus, it was beginning to be second nature," Rose replied. "You have your connections in both worlds, therefore you're the perfect person to be the go between from both sides."

"Yes, the Bones family has investment partners in the outside world and we're a respected family," Amelia said.

The Bones family being a respected family was not a buzzword like when the Malfoys used that term. The Malfoys bought their respect, and blackmailed their respect.

Lucius was dead and his son was reduced into a squib. Narcissa and her daughter were out and about in the world, doing various things from the shadows. She did manage to convince Lucius to sign over control of the Malfoy family holdings to her before he perished. And thus the Malfoy family fortune in part funded the destruction of families like the Malfoys.

"The head of our society is no doubt really pleased with this development," Amelia commented.

Rose smiled. "Please isn't a word to describe it. She has had it out for the Ministry for a very long time. To see them lose all of their credibility…"

Amelia corked her eyebrow in surprise. She wasn't going to say anything, but the terms credibility and Ministry seldom went together.

"Well, they didn't have much to begin with, but she blames them and their puppets in the Board of Governors for ruining Hogwarts," Rose commented. "She had a dream that there would be a magical school that children could learn magic without fear of being discriminated or anything like that."

"And is the dream alive once more?" Amelia asked.

"I think that I can help her relieve that dream," Rose said. "Even if it is a thousand years too late for this, I think that I can help her ensure that the dream is still alive."

Amelia could tell that Rose had some big plans, but that was just the youngest Evans sister was. She had a lot to prove to make sure she wasn't Lily's mini-me.

* * *

Alia knew that it was inevitable that she would be summoned before the society. From what her mother and later Rose told her, there were numerous high end office buildings all throughout Great Britain where the Society did their business.

She was currently entering one. Kara stood behind her. Diana and Donna were going to tag behind her.

There was a woman at the front desk. She was a fairly attractive middle aged woman, even though she had a fairly stern look on her face.

"I'm Alia Evans," Alia told the woman at the desk.

"Yes, our founder wished to meet you but….." the woman at the desk commented and she paused, frowning. "The three of you are going to have to wait outside."

"I'm afraid that's not going to do with me," Alia said. She wrapped her arm around Kara. "This is the Alpha of my pack and these are two of my sisters. They are with me, we're a package deal. Either we're all allowed in, or you're going to have to explain to your founder that I won't be meeting with you today."

The woman at the front desk looked over her shoulder and didn't seem to be too pleased by being put in the spot. She sent a message off.

"Have a seat while I get this sorted out," she commented. She didn't like to argue with people like this.

Diana, Donna, Kara, and Alia sat down.

"Must be something crucial if she wanted to meet with you and only you," Diana said.

"That's not how it works, it's obvious that she has more to gain for meeting me, then I do from meeting her," Alia said. "At least right now."

"She said that it was fine," the woman at the desk told them. She seemed relieved.

"As if it wouldn't be," Alia agreed. She got up with Diana, Kara, and Donna. All of them were curious to varying degrees.

She looked at a beautiful dark haired woman who sat behind the desk. She was wearing an elegant overcoat that covered her body and she had her hair back. It was obvious that she was a beautiful woman.

"Alia, it's good to finally meet you, Athena has spoken highly of you," the woman said with a smile. "And Kara, Donna, and Diana, the honor is all mine, and I apologize for the trouble that you had at the front desk."

"Rowena Ravenclaw, I presume," Alia said.

Rowena nodded in response. "In the flesh, and the rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated for at least a thousand years."

Lily was the most gifted witch since the time of the founders and the scary thing that she didn't achieve her full potential before she was indisposed. Alia was special, but in a different way.

"Come up to my office, I've got tea ready," Rowena said. "We're going to need it for the discussion we're going to have. I've been interested in the plight of your mother for some time."

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	7. World in Flames

**Chapter Six: World in Flames.**

* * *

Rowena decided to get straight down to the point of what she was saying, because she knew how much she hated it when people didn't when they spoke to her. "You have made a lot of waves, Ms. Evans, with your return to that world. Well, technically the waves that you made was because of your death."

"Do you approve or do you disapprove?" Alia asked her. Kara, Donna, and Diana waited eagerly for those answers.

"The world of wand wavers is not quite the world that I had envisioned," Rowena said. "I doubt that it is the world that any of the Founders or some of the earliest people who passed through the walls of Hogwarts. That's the problem when a group of people grows too immense. There is a desperate need for order of some kind and unfortunately, a government is needed to prop it up."

"But the Ministry of Magic is not the government that you imagined, is it?" Diana asked.

"All governments are about as imperfect as the people that run them, but magical governments tend to be even worse because the people who run them further divorce themselves from the people they serve and also from the people that they think are different from them."

"And that's where the Society comes in, right?" Alia asked.

"Yes, we recruit extremely influential and powerful people from both sides, magical and non-magical, in an attempt to make sure that the world runs correctly," Rowena said. "It's not pleasant trying to ensure that certain people do not run away with their powers. The treatment of magical creatures and those of non-pureblood are absurd as you would think that they are, and the term pureblood is a mistaken term anyway. Salazar had his prejudices and his concerns, but some of the things he said, were said. And yes, many others were interpreted correctly, although a bit more harshly than even I think he intended."

"That can be a problem," Diana said. "But when did you leave Hogwarts? Actually why did the Founders leave Hogwarts?"

"That glorified work of fiction known as Hogwarts: A History got a few facts correct enough that I wouldn't bother to challenge," Rowena said. Now that the Ministry was losing control, her first mandate would be to get every copy of that Ministry influenced slanted propaganda regarding her school seized up and burned. "Salazar and Godric's feud ramped up to a cartoonish level when they got older. It was remarkable how much they regressed mentally and maturely."

Rowena tapped her fingers to the side of her chin and looked thoughtful.

"They always had a rivalry of who could bed the most witches, and it got out of hand," Rowena said. "The point was moot though, because I was the winner of that contest. It descended into wand waving and those two didn't have anything to brag about."

Kara and Donna could barely both keep a straight face and broke out into a giggle fit. Alia pinched her girlfriend's ass to get her to stand up straight and Diana did the same to Donna.

"But, I look at you, and am glad that the goddesses intervened so you would have the life that you deserved to live and a chance to live up to your full potential and one step beyond," Rowena said. "Your mother was a great witch and she had a chance to be a greater witch, before her life was snuffed out. And if all goes right, she will have a chance to be an even greater witch. She delved into some complex magic and when combined with the complex magic Riddle did….that leads to an entirely new series of problems."

Alia was beginning to see that more than anyone else.

"She doesn't remember any of the magic that she performed," Alia admitted. Rowena looked at her and she frowned extremely deeply.

"Yes, that's a problem," Rowena agreed. "I have been speaking to Athena and she speaks most highly of you. You are an intelligent girl who understands that true knowledge doesn't come from what is written before in books."

"I do what I can to learn everything that I need to," Alia said. She spoke completely honestly and with a smile on her face.

"Yes, and you don't define yourself by your magic, even if you are completely skilled and adept at using it," Rowena said.

"She does have some magical hands, yes," Kara said.

"You know, I was never threatened by Godric and Salazar, I am more threatened by you, Alia," Rowena told her. "Although I did have a thousand year head start, I've mellowed out in the last few hundred years. There is less of a selection out there that I find interesting, although the rare witch has popped up."

She pretty much limited herself to magical users to form a challenge. It was too easy to find willing woman otherwise.

"But don't limit yourself, based on a promise that I made myself a long time ago," Rowena commented. "I have to say that I'm glad that you were saved. Dumbledore….well he thinks that he means well and in his mind, he's doing the right thing. But, he became further disconnected from reality. It was almost like there was some higher power that took pity on him and sent him off to that next great adventure before he descended to an even more questionable level."

For some people, like Merlin, like Godric and Salazar, and yes like Dumbledore, it was best to remember them for what they were earlier in life, than what they became much later in those lives.

"Hogwarts did seem to go into a downward spiral ever since the Founders left," Rowena commented in an off handed manner.

"Are you going to retake the castle?" Donna asked.

"It's damaged goods at this point," Rowena said. "I have some found memories of it from the time that I was there, but….it's best if I just let it be."

She still had control of the wards and she could in theory lock pretty much out of them in spite. The problem was simple as she saw it.

The people of Hogwarts went in two categories. Those who didn't know any better and didn't know that there were any other options. Muggleborns would be in this category, even though Rowena detested that word. It was funny that the wand wavers went out of their way to recruit the same people that they hated.

It was really sadistic when you thought about it. Pretty much waste seven years of a person's life, who would be lucky enough to be a dishwasher at the Leaky Cauldron. That wasn't any reflection on any abilities they had or lack thereof. That was just how things had gone.

Then there were those who had come from older families, and decided to send their children to Hogwarts, because that's how things had gone. A few had gotten wise to it, and started to home school their children or send them overseas.

"This all sounds very interesting," Alia said. She was glad that she never would step foot in Hogwarts. She just didn't think that a traditional magical school would fit her personality. "Rose mentioned to be that the Society had branches all over the world."

"We do have branches all over the world," Rowena confirmed. "And some branches are out of this world."

Kara was intrigued about this one.

"Many of them will meet you sooner rather than later," Rowena continued, speaking with Alia. "I'm sure that they're really pleased with you making their jobs a lot easier when we move towards this period of transition in the world."

"Believe me, I'm happy to help," Alia said.

She was only intending covering her tracks at the time, so she could divorce herself completely from the world that lead to the death of Lily, but there was something else brewing. She couldn't help be equal parts excited and nervous about what was going to happen.

There was going to be a revolution indeed and she was going to be right in the middle of it. Things would prove to be extremely interesting sooner rather than later.

They lived in a brand new world and Alia was going to be a huge part of that world.

* * *

The meeting was eventful, but in the grand tradition of many meetings in the past, present, or future, the meeting left them with a few more questions and not a sufficient amount of answers. Alia was found scratching her head, deep in thought about everything that was happening.

The quartet returned to meet with Rose at a house that was one of the Society's safe houses. Rose was conducting some business, with Mary keeping an eye on the twins at the Evans homestead.

Alia hoped that Rose paid Mary hazard pay. Although the twins did seem to like Mary, so that pretty much put her in a better position. She would hate to see what would happen if the twins encountered someone that they didn't really like. They seemed spirited. Alia both looked forward to training them when they got older and regretted it at the same time.

"Rowena is amazing as we thought, isn't she?" Diana asked.

"So, Athena raved about her to you as well, didn't she?" Alia asked.

Diana nodded. "Yes, she did. And she has proven why she's an adept pupil. It's a shame that Hogwarts went the direction it did. She had a dream, and the other Founders shared that."

"None of them as great as her, it seems," Alia commented. She spoke in an adoring voice.

Donna turned to Alia with a smile. "Well, maybe you should just get it over with and marry Rowena, before you all drown us with your gushing."

"I'm not gushing," Alia said, folding her arms over her chest with a scowl. That caused Donna to raise her eyebrow with a bemused expression on her face. "Okay, maybe I'm gushing just a little bit."

"Just a little bit?" Donna asked her sister. She couldn't resist needling her sister. It was one of her favorite things to do after all.

"Okay, more than a little bit, are you happy now?" Alia asked her sister.

"Yeah, just a little bit," Donna fired back with a wicked grin on her face. That caused Alia to lift her hand and give a lengthy sigh in response.

The quartet returned to Rose's and they had more than enough to talk about when they got there.

Rose was waiting for them with some tea and biscuits. Alia was a sucker for tea and biscuits, so she sat down.

Kara never had anything like that on Krypton. Everything tasted so bland. It was made with the perfect amount of nutrients, because of science and shit. You weren't supposed to get any kind of enjoyment out of food or life in general, everything was practical.

No wonder her planet blew up, that was about the most exciting thing that happened to it in the last hundred or so years.

"This is pretty good," Kara said. She nibbled on the biscuit and she smiled.

"Told you so," Alia said with a cheeky little grin. She rested her hand on her girlfriend's thigh and slowly edged it up.

Kara wondered if Alia would be daring enough to do this in front of her aunt. There was the fact that she didn't care that caused her to grow excited.

"So what's the latest out of the circus?" Alia asked. That caused Donna to duck her head to avoid laughing.

She popped up in surprise when she realized what Alia was doing underneath the table. She looked at Alia and gave her a look of like "really?"

"If you mean the Ministry," Rose said. Alia blinked and smiled. Rose knew that she meant the Ministry and pressed on with what she was saying. "Well there might not be that much of a Ministry, the Prime Minister is on a war path. He has been smartened up to how bad some of the treaties that were made between the Ministry and the official British Government have been broken. And several other members of the government are being smartened up to it as well. The Statute of Secrecy expired five years ago and no one thought it was fit to renew it."

"I'm sure that was a simple enough error," Alia said, shifting her fingers underneath the table and brushing them against Kara's opening.

Kara clutched her fork and she couldn't believe that Alia was doing something like this. She was breathing in and out heavily.

"Are you okay, Kara?" Diana asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Kara answered in response.

"The Ministry was so distracted by their savior disappearing into mid-air that they forgot to renew a simple piece of legislation…..that pretty much was the only thing legally holding them up," Rose commented. "The five year grace period was up and we've been preparing for the transition. Sympathetic members of the Society have also been sweeping up Wizengamot seats to prevent any attempts to renew the Statute from going through."

"And I'm sure that the other magical governments around the world are pissed at the Minister being asleep at the wheel," Alia said.

Kara nearly jumped at what Alia was doing.

"Well, they aren't too happy, but the magical government needs to be restructured," Rose admitted. "The United States doesn't have a big enough magical population to justify their own government and after what has been happening, with the war with Voldemort and aftermath, Britain really doesn't. Many have moved on to other countries, died, or tried to blend in with the outside world."

The Muggleborns might have had a better chance than many, but the problem was that they had been away from a magical culture for about seven years and a lot could happen in seven years. The world they left and had distanced themselves from was very different.

Much could happen in seven years. Some of them made excuses to stay in that world with friends they made, and had been distanced from their world. Lily had been savvy enough not to fall into that cult trap, but she was one of the few.

Alia lifted her fingers from underneath the table and locked eyes with Kara. She slowly licked them clean which caused Kara to shudder in response.

"So, that was a delightful snack," Alia said without missing a beat. She cleared her throat with a smile on her face when she looked at Rose. "So, what's going to happen now?"

"The Department of Meta Human affairs is likely to be established," Rose commented. "And Amelia Bones, given how well connected she is on both sides, will be the perfect person for the job."

"Yes, she does seem like the perfect person from what I've heard," Alia said.

That really did go without saying that might have been by the Society's design, at least this time. Regardless, Alia's lips flickered into a frown.

"So, are you ready to head home?" Rose asked.

They all nodded, now that they had been fed and watered properly. The meeting with Rowena was fairly interesting and rarely long.

The quarter got to their feet and they stepped through the gateway home.

"Is it true that they travel through fireplaces?" Donna asked.

"Yes, but we have much more convenient ways to get from Point A to Point B in the society," Rose told them. "And I can assure you that the Ministry regulates all of the fireplaces."

"That's not reassuring, really," Alia replied, shaking her head.

"I know it isn't," Rose said.

The group made their way back home. Kara made a split second decision and she decided to say something to Diana.

"Diana, do you think that we can talk for a little bit?" Kara asked. "In private."

Diana raised her eyebrow and she nodded. "I think that I can do that."

"Good, I'm glad," Kara responded. She led Diana off to the side.

Alia and Donna exchanged one of those looks with each other, but didn't say anything. Alia could watch what was going on through the bond she shared with Kara, so hopefully nothing really bad would happen.

Kara and Diana were face to face with each other. Diana spoke in an extremely calm and cool manner.

"So, what do you want, Kara?" Diana asked her.

"I want to know if you have any problem with me, and if you do, we can sort it out right here and now," Kara said.

Diana's eyebrow raised up. "I don't really have a problem with you….."

"Yeah, I know you had your heart set on Alia first….and I know how competitive you can be," Kara said. "And I know how you think that I've robbed you of something special."

Diana knew that she selfishly thought all of those things at one time. She looked at Kara with a steely gaze dancing in her eyes.

"Yes, I did," Diana agreed.

"Aren't you happy for your sister?" Kara asked her. "You know, if Alia would have been with someone else first…..I wouldn't have liked it any more than you did, but I would be glad that she found happiness."

"Are you trying to tell me that I'm being selfish?" Diana asked.

She was telling herself the same thing and her mother told her that as well, albeit in a gentle, kindly way. She fixed her gaze on Kara's bright blue eyes, when she responded with a smile.

"I'm not saying that you're being selfish at all," Kara confirmed for Diana. Diana nodded in confirmation. "But, you do tend to get competitive and you're not accustomed to losing….and you didn't really lose. Alia and I gained something, and….it's not like you're being locked out of the loop. I would have no problems if you beat me."

Kara thought that she should be allowed this one victory, after all, she doubted very much she was going to beat any of the Amazon Royal Family in sparring any time soon, no matter how much she tried.

"I'm really sorry about how I acted," Diana said after a moment of thought. "I didn't realize how selfish I was being."

"Again," Kara answered her. "You're not really being selfish, you're just being competitive. There's a difference, you know."

Diana smiled, she pretty much had a good idea what kind of difference that there was. Kara stepped closer to Diana and for a brief moment, she thought that Kara was going to kiss her.

Kara pulled back, deciding that she better not push her luck. She thought that a good enough mind fuck, without the actual mind fucking would be good.

"And I'm not the one that you need to apologize to, you know that, right?" Kara asked her.

Diana nodded, she knew that better than anyone else.

In the other room, Alia was having a conversation with Mary, after Amanda and Emily had been put to bed by Rose.

"So, my twin sisters didn't give you too much grief, did they, Mary?" Alia asked. She was intrigued about the girl.

She was innocent to the point where Alia felt almost perverted thinking anything debauched about her, but at the same time, it was always the innocent ones that had the wildest side.

"They were absolutely swell, Alia," Mary said with a winning smile. That caused Alia to raise her eyebrows. "They're really great….when you talk to them and not down at them…..I mean, that's just common wisdom, isn't it?"

Alia was glad that Mary found a way to deal with her twin sisters. If her twins were anyway like Alia was, well it went without saying that they didn't like to get talked down to.

"So, Rose mentioned something about you heading out to France?" Mary asked. She paused. "Sorry, I can be such a….nosy pants sometimes, but…."

"Yes, Kara, Donna, Diana, and I are heading out to France," Alia said. She breathed a sigh of relief internally when she spotted Diana and Kara returning. That meant they didn't kill each other, which was a good thing.

"Oh, well, I'm leaving in a couple of weeks myself, heading to the United States, because my business here is almost done," Mary said. "I hate to leave here…..especially since that I've connected with your twin sisters in such a way. They really can be delightful when they get to know them."

Alia thought that they could grow on you, given the circumstances.

"Thinking about moving to Metropolis or something, that seems like a nifty place to be," Mary answered in her usual cheesy tone of voice.

"I heard it can be as well," Alia said. "But, maybe I should take you out on a night on the town, before you leave."

She wanted to get to know this girl. There was something interesting about her. Alia couldn't pinpoint what was interesting about her though.

"Oh, well, um, I don't know," Mary said. She was stammering over her words.

"Come on, it will be fun, you can relax and have some fun, you don't have to do anything that you don't want to do," Alia said. She smiled when she stroked Mary's cheek. "You know, it will be great."

"It will, won't it?" Mary asked her. Her tone was practically bubbling when she spoke.

"How about next weekend, is that good for you?" Alia asked. They were planning on leaving the Monday after to head to France and then to go to America about a month after that.

"Oh, that would be neat," Mary said. She bounced up and down, not realizing what it did to her breasts.

Alia wasn't about to stop her. She wasn't going to end this show.

"So, I guess it's a date?" Alia asked with a grin.

The look on Mary's face was so priceless and adorable that Alia wanted to cherish it for the rest of her life.

* * *

Diana and Alia finally had time to spend alone and they were heading one of the bedrooms. Kara and Donna decided to crash together tonight, which allowed Alia and Diana to be alone.

"So, Kara pulled you aside earlier, didn't she?" Alia asked.

Diana sighed. She figured that her sister was going to go straight to the point. That was just the type of person that she was. "Yeah, Kara did pull me aside earlier to discuss some things with me."

"And are you two in a good place with each other now?" Alia asked.

"We've come to an understanding," Diana agreed swiftly. "But, you know this isn't a pleasure trip completely for me."

Alia was caught off guard by the sudden shift in topics, but she was going to go with it, because if that's what Diana wanted, that's what Diana was going to get.

"No, I know that," Alia agreed with her sister. "This isn't a pleasure trip for you. Mother sent you out to scout certain parts of the world."

Diana nodded. It was a responsibility that she took extremely seriously. It was not one that was given lightly after all.

"Thankfully my connections through the Society will allow your job to be much easier, putting you in contact with the right people," Alia responded. Diana raised one eyebrow and Alia amended. "Technically it's the Evans family connects in the Society, but why split hairs like that?"

"Anything that helps me, I appreciate it, honestly I really do," Diana said with a smile on her face. "So, how far do your contacts go?"

"There are a few Evans family relatives in the United States," Alia said. "Funnily enough, Rose told me that Dumbledore was under the impression that she and Petunia were the only relatives that were left and since Rose was too young, well Petunia was the one was to get me...didn't quite happen the way that Dumbledore wanted it to through?"

Even if Dumbledore didn't mean any malice, it went without saying, a lot of the man's actions looked rather questionable. Alia figured that out about as much as anyone straight away.

"You can have access to any of the information that you think might help you," Alia commented, grabbing her sister by the hand.

"Thank you," Diana answered.

"No problem," Alia said. "So after next weekend, we're heading to France to visit one of the Evans family business contacts in the society…the Delacours."

Diana had been thinking long and hard about her talk with Kara. She frowned deeply.

"I'm sorry about stepping your toes with Circe, and about….other things," Diana said.

"I know that you were a bit miffed about missing out on my sexual awakening, even if Donna should be the one that is miffed about yours," Alia said. "It was Hippolyta to you, you to Donna, Donna to me, and when the twins get hold enough, then it's my turn."

"Well hopefully they don't find an alien of their own to jump in front of you," Diana said in a joking manner.

"Then Kara and I will welcome her into the family in style," Alia said. She grinned. "But, you know, if you wanted some of me, the only thing you need to do was ask."

The two of them met lip to lip with a solid kiss. Things were about to get even more heated in a matter of moments. Alia had Diana right where she wanted to her.

Her magic had been calling out for Diana ever since she bonded with Kara, and now it was time to add another member to her growing Collective.

Diana could not believe this. This was more than worth the wait for sure.

* * *

"That was amazing," Diana said in an absolutely breathless voice. She winced when she slid back on the bed. "My ass hurts, but that was amazing."

"Ah, I'll kiss it make it better," Alia said. She rested her head on Diana's chest and Donna rested her head on Diana's lap. "And have we come to an understanding what your role is?"

"Yes," Diana said with a smile on her face. She relaxed in the afterglow.

Kara showed up outside the door, finally waking up with sticky sheets. The dream she had was extremely real it turned out and she got a front row seat to Alia taking Diana, and then Donna, and then Diana again.

She was kind of miffed that she didn't experience it in the flesh and had to do so in a vision.

'_Don't worry honey, I'll make it up to you.'_

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	8. Marvel

**Chapter Seven: Marvel. **

* * *

Kara, Donna, Diana, and Alia all basked in the afterglow of what happened. The initial fun between Diana and Alia was intense and long overdue. Donna got added in for a threesome, and then Kara popped in. Alia put her girlfriend through the paces one more time along with her sisters. They continued their escapades well into the evening.

Alia shook her head when she tried to pull herself to a standing position. A sign escaped her throat when she rose to her feet. It had been an extremely long and eventful evening for sure. The foursome was great.

Regretfully, she pulled herself away from her pack and decided to take a shower. After yesterday, Alia had a lot on her mind and the sex was most certainly a way to take a lot off of her mind. Those thoughts kept bubbling back at the worst possible time, in the worst possible way. She staggered over towards the shower.

She turned on the shower and allowed the cool water to hit her nude body. It took her a few seconds to adjust the knobs to a level of shower that was comfortable. The hot water might have scalded another person, but Alia had resistance towards such things.

The world which tried to forsaken her, was going to be torn down and rebuilt. Those who had been worth anything made numerous fallout plans, perhaps having seen the writing on the wall a long time ago.

Alia wondered how her life would have been, had the goddesses not intervened. It might not have been extremely good to be honest. She couldn't imagine thriving at the Dursleys and then what Rowena told her about how much Hogwarts degraded over the years. Those were two places where Alia decided it would not be within her best interest to be.

In a weary manner, Alia exited the shower, a frown on her face. She reached over and dried herself off calmly. She slipped on her underwear and then a nice black tank top and tight jeans on top of it.

She made her way down the hallway where Rose was waiting. She was sitting at the table, dressed in a bathrobe. It showed a tantalizing hint of her legs and Alia shook her head to clear the thoughts that she was having.

"Good morning, Alia, did you sleep well?" Rose asked.

"Last night was well, but I'm not certain how much sleeping was involved," Alia admitted. She sauntered over to the table and parked herself in front of Rose, accepting the cup of coffee that was placed in front of her.

She never drank coffee in her life, so this was an interesting experience to say the very least.

"The fallout should be interesting," Alia commented.

"Agreed," Rose said. "I was only sticking around long enough to ensure that you would be able to return and reclaim your inheritance. I believe you have some business in France, then it is off to the United States?"

"Yes, it is a place where some rather interesting things are happening, although very few of them have to do with wand waving," Alia answered. She sipped the cup of coffee she was given and she had to admit that it tasted divine.

"Magic users aren't unknown over there, but there are different brands of magic," Rose said. "Wands are more of a tool than a crutch in certain brands of magic. They can be used to enhance the magic with certain spells, but aren't necessarily needed. An extremely powerful mage will look down at the usage of wands in fact."

Alia figured that case. Rowena pretty much said as much without saying it.

"You've got something on your mind, don't you?" Rose asked. Alia raised her eyebrow. "I know that look, Lily has that look on her face whenever she is trying to change the world for some reason or another? Why do you have that look on your face, Alia?"

"Well," Alia admitted. Rose nodded in response when she looked at her niece. "I think that it's really interesting that you bring up my mother, because I haven't done anything to stop thinking about her. You know, to stop trying to figure out a way to bring her back from the edge."

Rose frowned when she looked at Alia and nodded crisply. She could see where her niece was coming from with this one.

"It just feels like I can do something more than what I've been doing," Alia continued.

"I think, and Lily would agree, there is really nothing that you can do at this point," Rose said. "Without at least knowing the charm that Lily did."

"She doesn't even remember it," Alia said.

Rose sighed. "Yes, that's a problem with the transference process between life and death. She doesn't remember what she did. Therefore it's kind of hard to come up with some kind of way to bring her back from the edge, isn't there?"

Alia thought that she was trapped more or less. Her mother had given her guidance when she could, when everything aligned properly. Those flickering moments was something that Alia cherished.

Rowena telling her that Lily never lived up to her full potential was something that upset Alia as an Amazon, never mind as the woman's daughter. She thought that was a crime.

"You know, we should consult with Rowena, if anyone would know, it would be her," Rose told her daughter gently. "And in the meantime, I've acquired some books that might be of service….I haven't found anything yet, but two sets of eyes are better than one in cases like this."

Alia knew precisely where Rose was coming from. Two sets of eyes might have been far better than one, at least in this particular case. She gave a deep frown in response. Rose reached forward and grasped her hand.

"Don't worry, we'll work on this," Rose said. "I miss her."

She wanted her daughters to meet their other mother in the flesh. Amanda and Emily had a lot of potential. Magical twins often did in some cases, females more so than others. They were young and they had room to grow, but Rose hoped they didn't grow up too fast.

* * *

Young Mary Batson had to admit that she expected something more outlandish when she was invited out by Alia, her girlfriend, and her sisters. The dark haired girl could hear some music beating inside the club.

Alia stepped over towards the man at the door, and showed her identification. "Ah yes, the Evans party, right this way…if you need anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to ask."

There were many people waiting at the door who cast them angry looks when they realized that Alia and their party got in without any trouble. Mary looked at Alia with wide eyes, looking fairly impressed.

"Guess your family name commands a lot of respect," Mary said.

"It can open a few doors, yes," Alia agreed. She could not keep the smile off of her face when she crossed into the room.

Mary whistled and only one word passed through her lips. "Wow."

"Indeed," Alia agreed with a chuckle. She offered her arm to guide Mary inside. She was entering an entirely new brave world and it would be a crime if Alia didn't try and guide her.

'_Ah, she's so innocent, isn't she?' _Donna asked.

'_Yeah, perfect for corruption,' _Kara thought.

'_The two of you are something else, you know that?' _Diana asked shaking her head in bemusement.

Kara fired right back without missing a beat. _'Hey, you were the one that was upset that you didn't take your sister's virginity first.'_

'_I'm never going to live that one down, am I?' _Diana asked.

Before there was an answer, Alia sat down. She bought Mary a soda, because she wasn't going to be responsible for introducing a young innocent girl to alcohol. And Donna and Kara weren't going to be either if they knew what was good for them. It would be a very dry couple of weeks for them.

"So, I never asked, what brings you to Europe?" Alia asked her.

Mary smiled in response when she looked at her in an adoring manner. "Well, it was a trip that I needed to clear my head after a wild last couple of years."

Alia didn't know what passed for wild in the world of Mary Batson. So she decided to allow the girl to continue to talk and continue to talk she did.

"It was really insane when you think about it," Mary continued. "But my mentor decided that it would be a good idea for me to go somewhere to kind of clear my head and stuff, so here I am."

"Here you are," Alia agreed.

"I'm almost done over here, I've found who I am and I think that I've passed some tests," Mary commented. She took a sip of her soda with a smile on her face. "I really think that I've grown as a person personally."

"I think that's great, we all have to pass trials to become the person that we really hope to be," Alia commented. She raised her eyebrow. "I hope that those trials weren't my sisters, because if they were, I apologize for them in advance."

That caused Kara to lose her drink through her nose.

"Oh come on, they aren't that bad," Mary popped in a bubbly tone of voice. Alia raised her eyebrow when she looked at the younger female. "Well, they aren't…okay they can be a handful at times, but….you got to talk to them, and not down to them. They're pretty smart for their age."

Mary neglected to add that they tended to be too smart for their own good for their age. Which was something that all of them were thinking, even though none of them said it.

"So, I was wondering," Mary said. She spoke nervously and she frowned.

"Yes?" Alia asked. Mary blushed brightly when she looked at Alia.

"You are heading over to the States, aren't you?" Mary asked.

"Yes, we are," Alia confirmed.

"So, I was wondering, if I can….if I can tag along with you, and your…sisters and….your girlfriend," Mary said. She shook her head. "I mean, it's really boring taking the trip alone, and I was hoping….well I hoped that I could be among friends. That would be neat if I could go with you."

"You know, you didn't have to ask," Alia said. "I'd be glad to have you with me."

"Really?" Mary asked.

She smiled and cupped her chin. "Always."

Mary thought for one wild second Alia was going to kiss her, but she didn't. Mary didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved. She felt a conflict of emotions going through her body. Some might say it wasn't proper for a girl to kiss another and some might say that it wasn't proper for a girl to kiss multiple girls.

Little did she know that Alia had more on her mind than kissing, but that was beside the point.

"So, you don't mind going to France with us for a few weeks, and then we'll head over to the United States?" Alia asked her.

"No, I don't mind it, at all," Mary chimed in. "Thank you, I'm glad that you will have me."

'_Oh, she'll have you alright,' _Kara thought. She liked Mary, so she had no problems with her being involved in the group.

Mary threw her arms around Alia's waist and engulfed her in an extremely tight hug. There was a moment where she realized what she was doing.

"Sorry," she said, looking kind of flustered.

"Hugs aren't a problem, you know," Alia said.

"Right," Mary said as she pulled away from Alia.

Alia could see an alluring looking woman walking into the club at that moment. She looked rather interesting. She had purple hair that came down past her shoulders. She wore a nice buttoned up purple blouse to go along with it that was made of silk and a pair of tight black leather pants that firmly fit her ass and gave Alia an extremely pleasing show.

Her companion was also interesting enough in her life. She was a gorgeous blonde woman dressed in a night tight green dress. The most interested part regarding her looked to be the Elvin ears she sported. Her body looked to have an amazing figure.

"Their drinks are on me," Alia said. The bartender looked at her and shrugged, before nodding in response.

When the two new arrivals at the club settled in, Alia walked over towards the two of them.

"Hello," Alia said.

The purple haired woman looked up in surprise and she nodded politely. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine," Alia said. "I noticed the two of you coming into the club, and you seemed to be preoccupied with something."

The purple haired woman gave her a smile. "Guess, that I would have caught someone's attention….you seem pretty new around here, don't you?"

Judging by the looks of the female who stood there, she looked to be in her late teens, maybe extremely early twenties. This club was only available to over eighteens though.

"Yes, I just came back to Britain after a long holiday, so I don't have the accent," Alia answered her. She nodded in response. "It was after my father was killed and my mother was put in a coma."

"Sorry about that," the woman responded and he honestly meant that. She offered the young female a seat next to them. "My name is Elizabeth Braddock, but you can call me Betsy, everyone does."

"I'm Meggan," the pointed eared girl said. She looked to be a bit subdued tonight.

"Thank you for buying our drinks," Betsy said. Alia raised her eyebrow. "That gentleman over there told me that you bought our drinks….guess you thought that we must be needing one or something, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I thought that you looked in need for a good drink or two," Alia suggested, frowning when she raised her shoulders. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all, even though we could afford it, trust me," Betsy said. She frowned when she looked over the girl. There was something about her eyes that looked familiar. "Forgive me for being rude….but I've never quite caught your name…."

"Alia….Alia Evans," Alia said.

That caused Betsy's mouth to hang open in surprise. Obviously, the Evans name was known to her. Meggan looked like she knew it as well and she looked at Alia with an adoring look in her eyes. Betsy nudged her and she sat up looking a bit more serious.

"Sorry," Meggan said. "But you know, with a name like that, we should be the ones buying you a drink."

"Yes, I concur," Betsy said. "You must be Audrey's granddaughter, aren't you? Lily's oldest daughter as well, correct?"

"Yes," Alia said with a smile.

"My math can be rubbish sometimes," Betsy admitted to Alia. "But I could have sworn that you should be much younger than….."

"Nineteen," Alia confirmed to her. The magical aging process was rather tricky, especially when you factored in the Amazons. She was eight in that world, lived thirteen years, and was physically and emotionally about between eighteen to twenty one. She settled on nineteen.

Alia was nothing but conventional after all.

"That's…interesting," Betsy said. It seemed like she was trying to figure out this entire process. "I'm sure that there's an interesting story based on that, isn't there?"

"Yes, it's fairly interesting," Alia agreed with her. "And I'm sure that it's only bound to give you a headache if you think about it too much."

"Yes, math often tends to be a rabbit hole that none of us want to go down," Meggan piped up. She seemed a bit more chatty now that she had a couple of drinks in her. "You have your mother's eyes, you know that?"

"And hopefully not her temper," Betsy said, shaking her head. She met Lily Evans an extremely long time ago and she was a woman that she didn't want to have cross with her, that was for sure.

She lifted the drink she had and sipped it.

"Yes, my mother could have her moments," Alia chuckled. "So what brings you here on a night like this?"

Betsy looked oddly somber when she kept drinking. "Well, my brother, and Meggan's husband….he died recently."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Alia said extremely honestly. "Do you know who did it?"

Betsy shook her head in response. That was the real kick in the pants, she had no idea who killed her brother. The murder was a messy one. She wasn't sure if it was a professional hit even or it was something else entirely. It seemed like the police didn't want to investigate for some reason, in fact they tried to tell Betsy that it was a suicide.

Yeah, suicide, like she was going to buy that. The police might think that, but since she knew Brian, she knew in her heart of hearts that he would be the absolute last person to ever take his own life for any reason.

There was something darker involved and she didn't like it.

"No leads, no anything, and the police aren't helping for whatever reason," Betsy said. "It makes me think that they're trying to cover up for something."

"Betsy, you can't think like that," Meggan said. She sighed.

"You know that I'm right, don't you?" Betsy asked. "I just can't believe it, one day he's there, and the next day he's gone. Well, here's to you, Brian, I hope that you're in a better place now. And I won't rest until I find the bastard responsible for doing this."

"I can toast to that," Meggan said.

Alia got a drink for herself. "Well, I wish you the best of luck….and if there's anything that I can do to help….."

"I will keep you in mind," Betsy said. She thought that because of a matter of personal honor, she might do it herself. Unfortunately, there was no sign of who killed him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, I will do anything to help a sister in need," Alia said.

"Oh, you've been sister zoned, tough break, Betsy," Meggan said, sounding all giggly in the process. It was the first time she laughed, since it happened, so Betsy wasn't going to call her on what she said.

Alia frowned, surely it wasn't a problem, was it? Sisters, both literal and figurative, should be able to express their love to each other, in any mean necessary. Alia shook her head, there was some beliefs in Man's World that she would never really get.

"Meggan is right, you do have beautiful eyes."

* * *

"I'm so bloody drunk, it isn't even funny," Betsy said, shaking her head.

"Good think that we have someone to…drive us home," Meggan said, rocking herself back and forth on her heels and giggly like a mad woman. "Oh, Brian would be so upset that I got his sister drunk, especially the fact I'm planning to bugger you later on."

"Too much…too much information," Betsy said, shaking her head. She turned to Alia and wrote down something. "Call me any time…..if you want to…..I'm sure the two of us can get together….sometime."

"Yeah, I'm sure that you would like to get together with her," Meggan said.

"Subtly isn't one of your strong points, is it, Meggan?" Betsy asked her sister-in-law. She leaned forward and gave Alia a kiss on the cheek. "Call me, okay?"

"Yeah, I'll call you," Alia said. She seemed non-bothered by the fact that a woman just kissed her on the cheek, and was more disappointed that Betsy didn't go all in. Then again, her aim was terrible. "Talk to you later, Betsy. It was nice meeting you."

"Right love, let me turn around slowly, and give you a smashing view when I leave the club," Betsy said.

Her ass swayed when she and Meggan propped each other up. Betsy's driver appeared at the club and he looked oddly non bothered by this.

"They have not descended to the level that young Master Braddock had before," the driver muttered. Alia, with her sharp hearing, was able to pick up that words.

Kara, with her enhanced hearing, most certainly was able to pick up those words and she broke out in a fit of giggles. Alia was pretty sure that none of them could get drunk, not that any of them were drinking. She and Donna broke into their mother's stash of fine wines one time and they got in so much trouble when they did, but that was another story for another time.

'_Are we done yet?' _Alia asked Kara.

'_Yeah, but….sometimes I wonder if your real power is to turn every single woman around and bend them to your whim,' _Kara suggested. _'For some, it's a very short turn.'_

'_It's called Aphrodite's gift,' _Alia said. _'I'd explain it to you, but I have a feeling based on what Rose has told me that it's pretty controversial.'_

'_Does it amount to something around the lines of all women being instinctively bisexual?' _Kara thought.

'_Well, that's a more simplified version of what it is,' _Alia thought. She put her arm around Kara.

Mary smiled when Alia turned. She spent some time dancing with Donna and Kara. She turned to Alia. "So, do you want to dance, or something?"

"Sure, but I'm utterly pants at dancing," Alia said.

Diana decided to chime in. "You can't be any worse than Donna and Kara, you know."

Both of the girls in question looked about ready to protest. Alia offered Mary her arm and lead her to the dance floor. The fact that two girls were dancing was not met with as much surprise as Alia was allowed to let on.

In fact, there were a lot of people of the same sex dancing with each other. In fact, all of the couples on the dance floor were of the same sex. That was curious, but Alia brushed off the fact.

Mary and Alia danced with each other. Alia smiled when she held the dark haired girl in her arms.

"So, have you been waiting for this all night?" Alia asked.

"Yeah, I have," Mary said in an excited voice. She squealed a little bit. "Oh, I've had a bit too much to drink."

Alia raised her eyebrow. That was a statement that she never thought that she would hear pouring out of this particular girl's mouth.

"All that pop, I'm going to get sick," Mary said, shaking her head. She shook her head and Alia guided her back to the bar. "Sorry….guess I overshot my target."

"That's fine, you weren't the only one tonight that did that," Alia said. Donna was given a disapproving look by Diana when she was trying to sneak something stronger than pop.

Mary rested her head on Alia's shoulder. She blushed for a second when she realized what she was doing.

Alia tensed up. She could sense something, and she grabbed Mary, before pulling her down to the ground. She yelled to Kara, Diana, and Donna, along with the rest of the club. "EVERYONE GET DOWN!"

Sadly, it was too late for some people. A pair of rockets launched through the doors and caused an explosion in the club. Clouds of dust and debris kicked up.

A group of young men who looked between their teens and early twenties entered the room. They were dressed in what appeared to be Roman armor. One of them packed a rocket launcher, while the others carried military grade weapons.

The leader of the group looked like a soccer hooligan. "Alright, listen up here, the sons of Zeus are here, and you are going to learn to worship the King of Gods."

Diana mouthed, "Sons of Zeus" and Alia shook her head disapprovingly.

'_Are they for real?' _Kara asked. Alia grabbed her hand warningly and Kara relaxed suddenly. They weren't going to jump into this impulsively without understanding what they are doing.

'_Yes, I'm afraid that they're for real, they're really for real,' _Alia thought. They didn't seem to be screwing around.

'_I wonder if they really are Sons of Zeus,' _Diana thought. _'I mean, he did have a lot of bastard children.'_

'_Yes, yes, he did,' _Alia thought. She looked over the table, and waited for the right moment.

"We're here to take all of you women and bring you before the mightiest of all Gods, so he can add to our gang," the leader of the gang answered. "Judging by the looks of this joint, none of you men are going to need them anyway."

'_So, is anyone going to comment on the absurdity of what they're wearing?' _Donna asked. _'Because they look more like the Sons of Caesar, than the sons of Zeus."_

There was a young female that was grabbed by the wrist.

"How about you, lady, are you going to pay tribute to your God?" the leader of the gang asked. "Unfortunately, Big Z isn't around now, but you can get a little taste of what he's like by having a taste of me."

"I don't think anyone would want to taste you, you don't know where you've been."

One of the Sons of Zeus looked up in surprise and saw Alia standing there. "Well, she's a homely one compared to you. So, do you want to experience a real demigod, love?"

"Work on your pick up lines," Alia said. She grabbed him by the wrist and slammed him down to the ground with a surprising amount of strength.

"Oi, you can't do that," one of the sons of Zeus said.

It was Diana's turn to lay the Smackdown on some jabroni's candy ass. She wrapped a lasso around one of them and pulled him on in. She smacked one of them across the back of the neck with a violent punch.

She dodged the attack of one of the sons of Zeus. They had the weapons, but very few of them thought that they could use them. Diana hoisted one of the Sons of Zeus over her head and slammed them onto the damaged bar.

"Kara, give me a boost!" Donna yelled.

Kara did what she was asked, placing her hands underneath Donna's feet and launching her high into the air. Donna flipped over and over into the air and stuck the landing right next to one of the Sons of Zeus. She took his legs out from underneath him.

"Alright, that's enough, we tried to be the nice blokes, but now you've done pissed us off," the leader of the gang commented.

There was a whisper of "Shazam" from the shadows of the club.

The gang members were taken off guard by the bolt of lightning that cut through the club.

"What the bloody hell is that?" the leader of the Sons of Zeus gang asked.

Alia turned around. An extremely breathtaking dark haired girl turned up. She wore a black top that fit against her nice body, with a silver lightning bolt coming down it. Her black skirt fit snugly around her shapely ass and showed a nice pair of long legs. The pair of boots added to the outfit.

"Okay, pardon my French, but you're going to get your butts kicked," the girl said.

"Seems like you need a lesson in manners," one of the gang members said.

"Yeah, well it isn't nice to point a gun at someone, they could get hurt," the woman said. She moved forward with swift precision and took the gun out of the goon's hand. She rocked him with a punch to the midsection, doubling him over.

"Bloody hell," one of the gang members said.

Alia jumped up and knocked him out with a swift shot. "I swear, if I hear someone else saying bloody hell one more time tonight, heads are going to roll."

She smiled when the new arrival, which really wasn't a new arrival, started kicking some serious butt.

Two of the sons of Zeus slammed into the wall hard. "Sorry about that, but you kind of were hurting people. So I had no choice."

Alia stepped back and let this girl do her work. This was interesting to say the very least. She seemed like the most apologetic badass ever.

"Hera," Diana muttered underneath her breath.

"Just Hera," Donna said. Donna and Kara were helping Diana evacuate the club. Some of them were in serious need of medical attention, being near the wall when the rocket launcher was up.

"Alright, that's enough, time for you bitches to learn your place before Zeus," the leader of the gang said, pulling out a rocket launcher. "You don't want a piece of this, don't you?"

He fired the rocket launcher. Alia raised her hand and caused a shield to appear around the rocket.

"Bloody hell!" the leader of the pack said.

"I warned you about that," Alia said. "Watch your fucking language!"

The rocket came back at the Son of Zeus and it caused him to get knocked through the wall with a sickening thud. The good news was that if he was a Son of Zeus, he might survive that encounter.

Thankfully for him, the armor mostly protected him from getting blown to bits. Not that his injuries were anything to cheer and celebrate.

The dark haired girl turned towards her. "Oh, that….well that was going to hurt, but he had it coming."

"Indeed he did, Mary," Alia said. That caused the girl's eyes to widen, looking like she was a dear in the headlights.

"But, I don't….I'm not Mary, I think you're confused, my name is Captain Marvel, citizen," Mary said, trying to sound more bold, and failing dismally after it.

"I could have sworn someone said Shazam," Alia said.

"What no one said Shazam?" Mary asked. A lightning bolt struck her and reduced her back into Mary Batson. She realized what happened. "Ah nuts!"

"Indeed," Alia informed her and she led her out of the club. Most of the people were either safely gotten out of the club or given medical attention.

As for the Sons of Zeus, they would be brought in. Alia did wonder how legit they were, but that was another investigation for another time. Their leader was lucky not to get blown to shreds by a rocket.

* * *

Alia returned home. The other girls decided to turn in for the evening. She needed to talk to Mary about something. She knew that there was something different about sweet Mary Batson, and this proved it.

"Alia, a Miss Braddock wants to talk to you," Rose called from up the stairs.

Alia thought the conversation couldn't wait. It was almost morning before the time they got properly back.

"Hi, Betsy, what is it?" Alia asked when Rose handed the phone.

"I heard about what happened at the club….right after I left too, just about a half an hour or so, wouldn't you say?" Betsy asked. "You're alright, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks for asking," Alia said to her.

"Good….I need to lay down, not feeling so well, had a few too many tonight I think," Betsy said shaking her head. "But I'm not as bad off as Meggan, had to hold her hair back so she could….well I think that you got the message."

"Yes, I got the message," Alia said.

"So, how about we meet up for lunch tomorrow, would that be good?" Betsy asked. "I know you're leaving for France on Monday, but I figured there would still be fine for us to go out, and get to know each other a bit better."

"That would be great," Alia responded. She spoke quietly and gently."Get some rest….if you'd like, I can tell you a good hangover cure."

"Tell me tomorrow when I'm sober enough to remember it," Betsy said. "Well, good night love, I'll have pleasant drinks….dreams thinking about you. Had enough pleasant drinks tonight, I think."

She sounded tipsy and rather giggly when she was off the phone.

"So, you met the young Braddock heiress?" Rose asked. Alia nodded and Rose smiled. "A good connection to have, if I might say so myself. Does she know anything about who killed her brother?"

"No, not yet," Alia said. "I'll tell you all about it in the morning though, I got to talk to Mary."

"Don't be too hard on her, I'm sure there was a good reason why she didn't tell you," Rose said.

"Don't worry, I'll be as gentle if it was her first time," Alia responded.

Alia made her way into the room Mary was crashing here this evening. She was sitting up, dressed in a long nightdress that extended past her knees. The girl looked up with a wide eyed look, resembling someone who was caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

"So, Captain Marvel?" Alia asked her.

"Yes," Mary answered her with a sheepish smile. "Not the first one though…..my brother was….but he was sent off to be a champion in other parts of the universe. I was chosen by the wizard Shazam to be the Captain Marvel of Earth. There are others in the universe, but I only know of me and my brother."

"Well, the name does suit you, because you are a marvel, Mary," Alia said.

There was no question about it, she went as red as Christmas light display now.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	9. Secrets Unraveled

**Chapter Eight: Secrets Unraveled.**

* * *

Breakfast the next morning proved to be extremely interesting. Last night, Alia had a feeling that she just scratched the surface regarding Mary Batson. The two girls were joined by Kara, Donna, and Diana. Mary leaned back in the chair, casually sipping on some orange juice when she relaxed. The girl looked rather thoughtful for a moment when the visitors looked at her.

"I knew that you were likely to have some very nifty powers as well," Mary said. She grinned sheepishly. "I didn't want to be nosy but….you know, you can't blame someone for really being curious."

"You know, curiosity is never a sin," Alia informed the girl. Mary nodded, looking fairly happy that she wasn't upset. "But we need to be careful about how curious we are, yes."

"Yeah, absolutely, we should be careful," Mary agreed, nodding her head up and down in an energetic manner. "But, I wonder how much you knew about me before….well how much you knew about me before you saw what happened."

"I had a couple ideas that you were something special," Alia said. She could see the heat rising from Mary's cheeks and Alia smiled. "And that's the truth, you got special abilities, that should be celebrated, and encouraged."

Mary shook her head.

"So, how did you ascend to the role of Captain Marvel?" Kara asked. She was extremely curious regarding how this happened. Her hands folded over her lap and she leaned back with a frown on her face. "I mean, no offense but….."

"Well my brother acquired the role, but something happened and he had to go away for a long time," Mary offered. "There were other worlds that needed a protector, but Earth needed a protector as well. I was given the responsibility and believe me, I took the responsibility well."

"And you did well with this responsibility," Diana said.

"Thank you," Mary answered graciously. She shook her head. "Anyway, I was sent all over the world to be Captain Marvel. I met some interesting people and did some interesting things. Nothing more interesting in getting involved with the Evans family. Rose really did need a babysitter and….well I had the wisdom to deal with children like Amanda and Emily."

"We can be a handful," Alia said. Donna and Diana nodded wisely. Alia turned around and both of them softened up. Kara had to duck her head behind the table to laugh.

"Well, it was the truth," Diana said, shaking her head.

"Just because it's the truth does not mean that you have to rub it in my face," Alia said. She stroked her fingers through her hair. She smiled when she looked at Mary. "So, the Captain Marvel training was what brought you over to the UK?"

"Yes," Mary agreed. "And my training is almost done….I just need final judgment so I can be the hero that I can be. I'm just nervous that I did something wrong."

"Don't be," Diana said. She looked at Mary with a knowing smile. "Confidence is what you need to succeed."

"Gosh, when you put it that way, it makes sense," Mary said. She stole an adoring gaze towards Alia.

Alia locked eyes with Mary and responded with a smile that sent her heart all a flutter. She couldn't really keep her eyes off of her.

"So, are you still going to join us?" Alia asked. "When are the judgment on whether or not you're worthy for the mantle of Captain Marvel anyway? Not that anyone would judge you as anything, but worthy."

Mary recovered from her embarrassment to answer. "The judgment is in another couple months….I hope that I didn't miss anything on the list, that would be embarrassing."

"The worst part is the wait," Alia said to her wisely.

Diana nodded. "Yes, I remember when I had my ascension ceremony where I earned my armor. I was scared to death."

"How did you earn your armor?" Mary asked.

Diana looked at her, a completely humorless look in her eyes. "I had to fight my mother."

Mary gasped in surprise. She didn't know she could do that. Granted, she never knew her mother, Billy and her were orphans, but still, she didn't think that she could do that. That was completely awful.

"You've worked so hard to be the heroine that you can be," Alia said. She was pleased to note that Diana was about as nervous as she was. But Alia had to press on. "But, you need to relax for a little bit."

'_And we have room to talk?' _Kara asked teasingly through the bond link. She got one of those extremely cross looks from Alia. _'Oh, I'm going to get punished for speaking out of turn later, aren't I?'_

Alia smiled when she looked over Mary, who shifted extremely nervously. "If you're still up to coming with us to France, we'll be happy to have you. An extra set of eyes to look over my sisters is always appreciated, I'm sure you know better than anyone else the kind of trouble they can get into."

"Heavens yes," Mary said. She shook her head. "I'm sure they'll eventually grow out of it, though, I mean, girls will be girls, won't they?"

"Well, I'm not necessarily sure they'll grow out of it, just be more creative with it," Diana said, casting a side long look towards Donna and Alia.

"Hey, I haven't gotten in trouble in a few months," Donna said. She folded her arms and gave her sister the side long gaze.

"Yes, you haven't, because you're getting too good at not getting caught," Diana said. "Or Mother was distracted with other matters."

Alia smiled and caught Mary looking at her. It was cute and innocent, not really perverted at all to be honest. It had a nice innocent quality.

Then again, the innocent ones were always the best ones. Sometimes, at least that's what Alia heard. She would put that rumor to the test sooner or later.

'_I feel a bit dirty on this one, but it's obvious she's smitten with me,' _Alia thought. She tried not to sound too full of herself. That normally led to trouble.

* * *

Kara, Mary, Donna, and Diana went out for a girl's day. Mary was obviously their guide and Alia knew that they would stay out of trouble for too long. The twins were now in school, so they didn't need a day babysitter, or rather they were with tutors, both magical and mundane.

Alia made her way to the café where she was meeting with Betsy and Rose joined her. Rose and Alia were talking when they reached the café.

"Yes, the sons of Zeus, I really feel bad that you had to run into them," Rose said and she honestly meant that from the bottom of her heart.

"You know of them?" Alia asked. She wanted to get to the bottom of this and the best way to get to the bottom of this was to probe for information.

"Yes, I know of them, they are a group of hooligans who came to be Zeus's sons….but maybe that should be obvious by the name," Rose said. "They've been causing trouble for the past couple of years, not just Europe, but abroad as well."

"Wonderful, some multi-national cult," Alia said, shaking her head. This was just something that kept getting better and better.

"I know Zeus had many sons, but someone is obviously behind this," Rose answered.

"Maybe," Alia admitted. If anything, the mythology she read regarding Zeus that the mainland had grossly understated.

"Amelia has her first round of meetings today," Rose said. "There are a lot of high ranking officials in the Ministry that are lucky to escape unscathed. The official investigation indicated that Dumbledore was responsible for your death."

"You mean, the Ministry thinks that he murdered me?" Alia asked. She felt that a dead man being implicated in her death couldn't really be the worst thing in the world. Better than a live man being sent to prison for a crime that he didn't commit.

"Not necessarily murdered," Rose commented. She shook her head. "But, they're looking into how negligent he was. You were put on the doorstep in the middle of November, without any supervision, and no guarantee that your family would even find you."

"I'm sure Dumbledore may have put charms around the basket or something," Alia said. She wasn't necessarily defending Dumbledore, but someone had to play Devil's advocate. It might as well be her.

"Maybe," Rose commented. "Maybe."

"But you're not convinced?" Alia asked. Rose shook her head in the negative. "I figured as much that you weren't convinced."

"Yes, I'm really not convinced," Rose offered her. "Dumbledore made a lot of questionable decisions. The fact he's dead complicates things far less. His death has been ruled natural causes. Honestly, given the amount of positions he was in, I wonder why his heart didn't give out under the stress sooner than it did."

That honestly was the question, wasn't it? The two of them made their way into the café and saw Betsy and Meggan sitting there.

Betsy walked over and looked at Alia with a concerned look on her face. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, Betsy," Alia said. She smiled. "I can handle myself…..are you…..?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Betsy said with a smile. She led Alia over.

Alia felt that introductions were in order and she turned to Rose. "This is my Aunt Rose, she decided to invite herself along, if you don't mind."

"No, no, not at all," Betsy said. She smiled when she extended her hand forward and shook it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Rose."

"The pleasure is all mine, Betsy," Rose said. "And I'm sorry to hear about your loss….are their any leads?"

"None that I can hang onto," Betsy said. "The police investigating the crime are woefully inept."

"They think that Brian committed suicide," Meggan said. She looked rather sour. Betsy placed her hand on Meggan's to calm her down.

"This is Meggan, my husband's former wife, I've taken responsibility for her after she died because of her…circumstances," Betsy said.

"Right, it's a pleasure to meet you, Meggan," Rose answered. "It's been a long time since I've seen you Betsy….."

"We were both young….you were slightly older and Lily was older than that," Betsy remembered. She turned to Alia. "Your mother, she was a terrifying woman. And I mean this in all of the good ways. She was the type of woman that you wanted on her side. She was in position to be the Red Queen in the Society."

"My mother sure was special," Alia answered. "But, she's not completely gone."

"Naturally," Betsy said. The loved ones they lost always lived on in their hearts. "But the Braddocks and the Evans family had an extremely prolific business relationship."

"And I'm sure that you would like to extend it," Alia said.

"Yes, there are others that are trying to swoop in on my family interests after the death of my brother, and my parents went the year before that," Betsy said. "It falls on my shoulders, and Meggan's as well."

Meggan smiled. She would be happy to serve the Braddocks and any of their partners in any way. Especially, if that partner looked anything like Alia, she was a young goddess in the making for certain.

"I'm still sorting out the Evans family business interests," Alia said.

"Thankfully, Petunia didn't get her hands on them," Betsy said. "She was nothing like Rose and Lily, there are times where I wonder if she was adopted or Herb Evans remarried or something along those lines. Rose and Lily are spitting images of your grandmother."

"Yes, our mother….she would have ripped Dumbledore's head off herself had she been around," Rose said. She shuddered at the thought of it. "Or she would have swiped you off of that door step herself, and then she would have ripped her head off."

"Why didn't Petunia get her hands on them?" Alia wondered.

"She was cut off from the will when she married Vernon," Rose said. "Vernon disrespected our parents by being intolerant, and Petunia was going that way out of jealousy regarding Rose and Lily. You would have had an extremely difficult childhood, had you not been liberated."

Betsy had to deal with intolerant people for a long time, especially given her gifts and what she was. And she could see people like her suffering. One would think that since they were in the 21st Century, they could ease up on the racism, but old, awful habits died hard.

"I did really well for myself, I think," Alia answered with a smile on her face.

"Yes, although you're far older than I thought you would be," Betsy said.

"Well, if I lived my life here, I will would have been around eight years old, since this is 2008, and I was born in 2000," Alia confirmed. "And I lived around fourteen years and I'm physically, emotionally, and whatever else that matters, around nineteen or so years old."

"I say, math can be even more confusing when you add magical variables in," Betsy said. She sipped on her tea, looking rather bemused.

"Just assume that I'm nineteen, that's the only number that matters," Alia said. "Donna is twenty and Diana is around twenty three, or so….even though she got de-aged along the way…it's complicated."

"Best not to question it, then," Betsy confirmed. "And they'll never find you."

"For obvious reasons, especially with Amelia misdirecting them," Rose said. "But enough about that awful business."

"Yes, I agree, the less said about what happened a long time ago, the better off I think we'll all be," Betsy said. "Oh, I'd like to apologize for last night."

"It wasn't really a problem," Alia said. "You were going through a rough time, it was understandable."

* * *

Fleur Delacour drove herself up a wall with frustration. The eleven year old Veela clutched her fingers together and her knuckles grew completely white.

Her eight year old sister, Gabrielle, looked at her sister and shook her head sadly. She couldn't concentrate with how Fleur was acting.

"Should I get mother?" Gabrielle asked. "Because, it looks like you're about to have another episode."

"They're getting worse, you know," Fleur answered. She shook her head. "I'm getting so close that I can feel it, I'll be glad when I can transform…"

"Lucky you, I have another couple years before I can even think about it," Gabrielle said. She couldn't help but needle her sister to make things better for her and worse for Fleur. "Although, the Veela transformation has been known to go at least seven years in some cases, towards a Veela's technical eighteenth birthday. Instead of skipping straight to adulthood in one night, you….."

"Don't joke about that, Gabi, please," Fleur moaned. She was teetering on the edge of madness once more.

Fleur didn't think that she could go through seven more years of the visions, the frustration, the heartache, the headaches, and everything that went along with the Veela maturation process. It was a bit of a bitch to go through, even though the rewards when she got to the end of the tunnel were quite rewarding.

"Seriously, Fleur, do you need Mother?" Gabrielle asked. She looked kind of terrified for her sister.

"Fine, it's passing, right now," Fleur said. She came down and shook her head. "I could use a drink of water."

Gabrielle normally would tell Fleur her legs weren't broken, but she decided to do things for her sister. She handed her sister a glass of water and she drank it calmly.

The cool water was refreshing when it touched the back of Fleur's throat. She drowned it in three big gulps.

"So, what's it like?" Gabrielle asked.

"It's like something is trapped in my body, longing to get out," Fleur explained. "But, it can't get out. I'm still trapped….my inner nature is still trapped."

"It's your human nature fighting with your Veela nature."

A beautiful woman dressed in elegant black robes showed up at the doorstep. She was stunning and alluring in many ways. Appoline Delacour noticed her daughter's episode and made her way up. While there was nothing to be concerned about at this point in time, there was always a chance that there was something to be concerned about.

"I feel fine now," Fleur said.

"You fight who you are on the inside," Appoline said. She looked over her daughter. She looked much younger than she really was because she didn't properly tap into her Veela nature. One could mistake her for a seven or eight year old, which she would look like until she fully tapped into that side of her. "The process is more controlled when your full blooded cousins go through it. They are kept isolated so they don't rip apart anyone that they care about. That is why we must keep you home, until you go through the full changes."

"But, I'll miss my schooling," Fleur protested.

"You can always learn what you missed, this is a vital part of the stage of your development," Appoline said. She reached forward and gripped her daughter's hand. "You're closer than you think, you just need one last little nudge."

Fleur thought that it couldn't come soon enough. She now knew what Muggle girls went through every month past a certain age and hated it. She really fucking hated it.

"It happened again last night," Fleur said. "At least this time I didn't set fire to my bed."

"You're going to have to control your impulses, Fleur," Appoline answered warningly.

Fleur looked sheepish. That was the case, she did have a really bad problem with impulse control. She didn't have to eat all of those cookies when she was six. The problem was one turned into two and two turned into three and three turned into the whole jar. And the whole jar turned into her being sick that evening.

"But you did have the dream," Appoline said. She made sure to keep ahold of her daughter, and be prepared to subdue her, just in case.

"You're going to make me recall it, but I can hurt you," Fleur said.

"There is more Veela blood in my veins that you have, I'm pretty certain that I can overpower you," Appoline said. She smiled when she looked over her daughter. "Just relax, relax, and let things flow naturally through you."

"Letting things flow, naturally," Fleur muttered. She closed her eyes. There was a part of her that felt absolutely stupid because of this. "But, I had the dream last night, where I met my mate. And I was disappointed that I woke up, because that meant that it was just a dream, and I couldn't go through the transformation."

"Stay strong my dear flower of the court," Appoline said. "Good things come to those who wait."

Gabrielle could almost sense what Fleur's response was going to be to that. Sure enough, it was right on target and straight away.

"I sicken of waiting," Fleur whined. Her tone was a bit upset.

"Describe the dream the best you can," Appoline said. She was behind her daughter and slowly rubbed her shoulders. It looked to be a massage, but she channeled her magic to keep her daughter's magic under control.

Fleur was relaxed by her mother's allure. She shuddered when she recalled a memory. "My mate made a woman out of me, took you, promised to took Gabi when she was ready, and then tamed the entire Veela nation."

"Wait, your mate tamed an entire group of pure blood Veelas?" Gabrielle asked. She was completely surprised. "What man could even do that?"

Fleur's next words stopped any protest Gabrielle might have had straight in her tracks. "Who said it was a man?"

* * *

Alia sunk down along a lot of books. She pretty much exhausted the libraries of Themscrycira to no avail and now she was going through these libraries with the hope in her mind that she would be able to location information which would be able to free her mother.

She didn't do this alone, Rose sat beside her. She watched the look on Alia's face, slight amusement going through her face.

"What?" Alia asked. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No," Rose confirmed. "It's just that….well you look like Lily when she had her mind set on something."

Alia accepted that answer, at least for now. She flipped through the books. Some of them looked rather questionable in nature, but they were extremely desperate. "So, how did you get your hands on these books?"

"They were from the Black Family library," Rose said. "They were given to me as a thank you present for the help that I gave to the Head of Black Family, well technically I enlisted the help of the rest of the Society…..Sirius Black, your godfather."

"I see," Alia said. "What became of him?"

"He was sentenced to Azkaban after betraying your parents and killing thirteen people with a single curse," Rose said. "Only, anyone with half of a brain to spare would know that Sirius wouldn't do something like that. He would rather die than betray those closest to him, especially after all the Potters had done for him. They took him in when his mother disowned him…."

"If his mother disowned him, how could he be the Head of the Black House?" Alia wondered.

"His mother angrily blasted his name off of a family tree, but she never went through the proper channels," Rose commented. "Then again, she was the type of person never to go through the proper channels, because it was beneath her. And her mother disagreed with what she did, so she pretty much disallowed any disownment as well. And I believe that his mother was the one disowned from the family, even though she never accepted it. Her last act was getting her portrait stuck to the wall of the Black Family Home and leaving her deranged house elf to guard it."

Alia soaked this all in.

"But, to get back on the subject of Sirius….when Selene found out that her grandson had been put in prison, she hit the roof, in the worst way," Rose continued. "She did everything in her power to get Sirius in prison and I helped…by looking up some letters Lily wrote that gave the proper evidence that Black was never the secret keeper. And we tracked down the person who did it, his name was Peter Pettigrew. He hid as a rat in a magical home, one of Dumbledore's greatest supporters as well."

"What became of Pettigrew?" Alia asked.

"He was sent to Azkaban and he hung himself in his cell," Rose said darkly. "The only reason he was spared from the plague that wiped out most of the Death Eaters was that he was in his Animagus form at the time, but the moment he was a human, the madness seeped in and he decided to end the pain rather it slowly kill him."

"He was a coward, then," Alia said. Rose nodded.

"Given that he sold his best friend up the river to Voldemort and framed another friend for murder, I would have to say so," Rose said. "Sirius got out of Azkaban, with an apology and a good amount of gold ,with a promise that he wouldn't sue the Ministry. It was a shut up settlement pretty much. He left the country and settled on a tropical island owned by the Blacks. And given that I have not gotten a call from the authorities regarding him, means that he has stayed out of trouble."

"Oh he was the troublemaker type?" Alia asked.

"You have no idea, although your mother and I could give Sirius, your father, and their friends a run for their money," Rose said. "And that's where your twin sisters get it from. And I'm sure that you and Donna….."

"You've been talking to Diana, haven't you?" Alia asked.

"Maybe I have," Rose admitted.

The two of them didn't talk for a long time. They had a lot of ground to cover. Each book, Alia looked at diagrams describing magic, some of them fairly unsettling to be honest.

"If we only had some hint about what Mum did, we could figure this out," Alia said. She sighed when she kept flipping through the pages. "Oh, why would anyone want to do that to themselves?"

She put down the book and shook her head.

"Some of these books aren't for the weak at heart," Rose reminded her. Alia turned towards her, with a shifty smile.

"Yes, that's noted, big time," Alia said.

'_What is it?' _Kara piped in.

'_Nothing good,' _Alia confirmed. _'My mother must have used something extremely obscure magic. The only thing that I have to go off of is some obscure power Rune, and that's no help."_

There was a knock on the library door. Rose pulled herself out of the book. Whoever wanted to turn their toenails into poisonous knives really had some serious issues they needed to work out.

Rowena made her way to the door, and she was holding the latest issue of the Daily Prophet in her hand. Rose looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I thought that you didn't read that rag sheet."

"It's almost amusing how much the Ministry is spinning what happened, I need a few laughs in my life," Rowena said. "I'm sure many of them are doing the standard business protocol as well."

"Stick their heads in the sand and pretend everything is alright?" Rose asked.

Rowena nodded. Rita Skeeter really did go to town when the news regarding the remains of the Girl-Who-Lived being found became public knowledge. She had a field day with things, saying that Dumbledore held the girl for seven years and did unspeakable things to her. Of course, Rita didn't tell what those unspeakable things were, but she allowed the users to fill in the blanks.

She also questioned whether Dumbledore's death was of natural causes, suicide out of guilt, or because of his captive finally lashing out and damaging him so badly that his heart gave out from the stress.

"I understand Circe offered to help train you in your magic," Rowena said to Alia out of the blue.

"Yes, she did," Alia said. "I wonder what her intentions were with that."

"She might not have bad intentions, it might be out of genuine desire to see someone reach their full potential," Rowena said. "She isn't completely a bad person, it's just when she gets bored….well bad things happened, and sometimes she goes too far with her attempts to make certain people lighten up."

'_Oddly romanticized way to put things,' _Diana thought. She crossed her arms, but said little more than that.

"I feel though that if I train you, it will cause a lot less drama in the Amazon royal family," Rowena offered her.

"I think that would be a good thing," Alia said. They could all use a lot less drama in all of their lives.

"And I was trained by Circe, so I'm almost as good as her," Rowena said. "And I've learned more than a few more things since then as well."

"In a thousand years, it's hard not to," Alia replied. That caused Rowena to smile.

She grew serious after a few moments. "Have you made any headway with what your mother did?"

"One Rune, and that's it," Alia said. She handed Rowena the sketch.

Rowena gave the sketch a long look and her mouth hung halfway open in surprise. She shook her head when she snapped back to life.

"The Rune she used…it was one of my own creations," Rowena said. She looked on in surprise and awe, not to mention astonishment, lots of astonishment. "It was enhanced a little bit…but the same principle applies."

For the first time, Alia thought that she had a solid lead to where she wanted to go. "Does this make things simple?"

"Well it makes things less complicated," Rowena answered. "If anything else, I know the base form and I should be able to give you a better idea of what we're dealing with. I'll need a few weeks to crack the code though."

"Take your time," Alia said. She smiled. "We'll tackle it when we return from France."

"Right, you're going to meet the Delacours," Rowena said. "They are descended from Veela blood."

Aphrodite told Alia all about Veela and that left her extremely interested. The trip to France was going to be amazing, in more ways than one. She could hardly wait.

The prospect of her mother potentially finally being brought back to the land of living also excited her, but Alia vowed not to get her hopes up.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	10. Close Encounters

**Chapter Nine: Close Encounters.**

* * *

Appoline Delacour waited for some rather important guests. Some interesting rumors reached her over the past number of days from her contacts in the society she was in and she wanted to confirm those rumors.

There was a flash of blue light when the gateway opened. Fleur and Gabrielle entered the room at that moment and both Veela sisters stood in absolute awe. They recognized the amazing redhead woman as Rose Evans. The two twins who stepped on through the portal exchanged a smile with Gabrielle, who she returned with an extremely pretty smile.

The other people who showed up were something of a mystery. The dark haired girl with green eyes was the one of particular notice for Fleur. Fleur stared at her for a few seconds and looked at her for a few seconds, mentally going over something in her mind. Her mouth hung open when she waited.

Surely not, surely not, Fleur couldn't believe it. She shook her head, but the face was recognized from her dreams. Not just any dreams, but those dreams, the dreams she recalled that were connected to her maturity. There was a sunny looking dark haired girl, another blonde who was looking towards Fleur fairly curiously, and two dark haired girls. One looked to be in her early twenties and the other one looked to be in her late teens or something like that. Regardless, Fleur looked confused.

"Rose, it's wonderful to see you again," Appoline said. She took a few small strides over and wrapped her arms around the redhead with a hug. "And Amanda and Emily, the two of you have grown."

"Yeah, if Mandy eats much more, she'll be really big," Emily joked, and she got Gabrielle's eye who grinned.

"Ha, ha, very funny," Amanda said. She shook her head in response with a frown. Gabrielle caught the eye of Alia and Amanda realized what she was looking for. "Oh, that's our older sister, Alia, she was spending most of her life training to be some really cool warrior princess."

Appoline raised her eyebrow, but wisely didn't say anything in front of her daughters. Diana, Kara, Donna, and Alia were all glad that the Delacour woman knew a couple of things about discreption.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Alia," Appoline said. She stepped over. "I knew your mother, but sadly not as well as I would have liked to. That's a pity, what happened, because she had a lot of potential."

That was not the first time Alia heard those words and her lips curled together with a frown. The sooner she was able to figure that out, the better things would be. And if she could bring her mother back, so much the better.

"This is a nifty house, Mrs. Delacour," Mary piped up.

"This is Kara, Donna, Diana, and Mary," Alia said helpfully, introducing them. She looked over at Gabrielle and Fleur. "And you must be Gabi and Fleur."

Fleur looked dumbstruck still. Gabi thought that it was an interesting change for her sister to keep her big fat mouth shut, so it went without saying that she was relishing the moment. "Yeah, I am….Fleur, don't be rude."

"I'm not, it's a pleasure to meet you…um, Alia," Fleur said. The visions in her dreams flashed in her mind and she could barely look Alia straight in the eyes.

'_Okay, did I miss something?' _Kara asked. It took her a few seconds to realize what was happening. She looked from Fleur to Alia and it dawned on her extremely slowly. _'Oh, I see.'_

'_Yes, Alia, you've caused a Veela to grow numbstruck,' _Donna thought. She mentally corrected herself. _'Well a quarter-Veela. You remember what Aphrodite said, they could be extremely powerful creatures, you know.'_

'_Yes, I'm aware of that fact, thank you,' _Alia said.

"You must be extremely powerful," Fleur said when she looked at her. "You….you're her…aren't you?"

"I'm who?" Alia asked.

Fleur dropped her voice to her. "You're the Chosen One, the Girl-Who-Lived…"

"Please, refrain from calling me those names ever again," Alia said. She pretty much lost respect. "Alexandra Audrey Potter is dead."

"Yes, you were reborn….you died when you were brought to the island, so obviously you are Princess Alia of….Themsicyricia," Fleur said. She wished for her stupid maturity to kick in so she would stop being so short. "You're the warrior princess…a member of the royal family. The Veela have a shrine to the legend of the Amazons."

"They do?" Alia asked.

"Yes, they….well they do," Fleur said. She babbled and looked very embarrassed with herself. She shook her head. "I mean, I could take you there sometime to worship…show you where they worship you….if you want me to….I will do it…but only if you want me to."

That caused Gabrielle, Amanda, and Emily to break out into giggle fits and Donna looked at her. "Ah, such an amusing little girl, isn't she, Alia?"

"I'm not a leetle girl!" Fleur snapped, her French accent becoming rather prominent when she spoke. "I'm almost twelve years old and I'm going to hit my maturity soon."

"Yeah, at least in the next six years," Gabrielle piped in happily.

"If my oldest daughter ever gets over being tongue tied, she can join us on the tour," Appoline said. She could see her daughter look absolutely mortified with what was happening.

Alia could see that she was tense. Perhaps she could do something that would ease up that tension. Donna turned to Alia with a wicked grin.

Diana gave her sister a warning gaze as if not warn Donna not to encourage Alia. Donna shrugged her shoulders as if to ask "I don't know what you're talking about."

Alia and Kara locked eyes and ducked their heads to avoid laughing. The two of them decided to join on the grand tour of Delacour manor to see what the house had to offer.

This would prove to be a fruitful evening, one way or another, she had a feeling.

* * *

It was much later that night, and Fleur was really mortified by the fact she embarrassed herself. It wasn't necessary the fact she embarrassed herself that messed with her mind, but she did it in front of a goddess. Her aunt was the queen of the Veelas for God's sake. Fleur was practically royalty herself through blood. Surely, she could allow herself a bit more dignity than that.

That was something that would not be out of Fleur's mind any time soon. The woman shook her head when she sat down on the ground, her legs crossed. She decided that to keep her mind off of things more than anything else, she would try and do something that had eluded her so long.

Fire manipulation was a skill many Veelas had. Fleur thought that her partial Veela blood had been a blessing and a curse. She had been able to perform different forms of magic beyond what her cousins did, but there were some skills she knew that she had.

Providing, naturally, she could perform it. Her hand manipulated the fire, for a few seconds. The fire shot into the room and set the curtains on fire.

Fleur ambled to put it out. Thankfully, she was able to utilize a good water spell to put out the fire. If she didn't know that particular spell, she would be in a lot of trouble to be honest.

She shook her head. Fleur hated the fact her pureblooded Veela cousins made everything look so seamless.

The frustration she was feeling by her slow and crawling maturity made it even harder to concentration with manipulating the fires. Her expression grew increasingly sour when she waved her hand.

Fleur once again tried to manipulate the fire. When a Veela got pissed off, they could hurl fireballs in an erratic manner. That was not what Fleur was trying to do.

She was attempting to utilize the more elegant aspects of fire crafting. She was attempting to morph the fire into different shapes. It started to rattle. She was pretty sure that she almost had a dragon.

Then the fire shot off to the side and caused the curtains to catch on fire again. It never hit any part of the room other than those curtains. It was almost like the curtains magnetized themselves for that fire.

Fleur looked flustered in more ways than one. She was breathing in and out extremely heavily. Before she could properly put out the fire, someone pulled the fire away from the curtains.

She turned around and saw Alia holding her rogue fire in the palm of her hand. She didn't show any signs of being hurt. Slowly, she extinguished the flames.

Alia stepped over, closing the gap between the two of them as she entered the room. A smile crossed her face when she approached Fleur.

"It seems to me that you might need a little bit of help," Alia commented lightly when she looked Fleur right in the eye.

Fleur snorted in response. She might need a little bit of help. That was an understatement to end all understatements if that was sure.

She realized that she was in front of a demi-goddess and tried to make herself look respectful.

"Just trying….." Fleur said. "Just trying to keep things under control. I've got a lot on my mind, with everything that's been going on."

"Indeed," Alia answered. She stepped over so she was pretty much locking eyes with Fleur. "I can tell."

The blush rose on Fleur's cheeks and she shook her head. "That's not what I was talking about, really."

"I know that's not what you were talking about," Alia said. "But, you do need some help with controlling your fire and maybe I can help you."

Fleur cursed her incoming maturity. It was becoming extremely hard to concentrate. Did she say that before? She couldn't recall, but that was the truth. Never the less, she got to her feet, shaking her head.

"Show me," Fleur said in a breathless tone of voice. She situated herself where Alia was behind her, getting her ready.

"Yes, I'll show you," Alia confirmed. She stood behind Fleur, ready to go. "It's all about the technique, you know."

Fleur knew and she watched Alia step in front of her. She walked with such elegance, such poise, like nothing could bother her.

It was for the first time that Fleur realized that she perceived Alia like others might have perceived her in this situation. She chuckled at the irony, and rose up, frowning when she spotted Alia.

"Just copy what I do, and things will go fine," Alia said. She rose her hand and green fire emitted from it. Multi colored fire emitted from her hand next, with a combination of reds, blues, and purples.

Fleur watched it in surprise. To manipulate fire was a skill, to manipulate multiple varieties of fire at once, that was something else different.

Her eyes followed what Alia did, with awe etched in her eyes. She didn't know how to react.

Alia caught Fleur's awed look. "It looks easier than it really is."

"That much is obvious," she commented in her usual haughty voice. Alia got behind her, pressing her body. Fleur let in a deep breath and cursed her stupid slow Veela maturity when she felt Alia's breasts press against her back like that. "It's all about focus, and it's all about technique. You need to focus on what you need to do and accomplish it within the realm of your mind."

Fleur nodded. She honestly hoped that would work. Her breathing rose when she held her hands up.

Fire emitted from her hands and they launched across the room. It bounced off and nailed Alia full on.

Needless to say, Fleur screamed in horror when her potential mate was apparently set on fire before her very eyes. Alia stood there, the flames surrounding her. She smiled when she spread her arms and the flames faded from her.

"And your aim is important, you need to work on your aim," Alia said. "You should get some rest as well, and do this when your mind is less muddled."

Fleur nodded in agreement. It was at this point where Kara stepped into the room.

"I'm just on my way, my lady," Fleur said. She paid her respects to her future mate's Alpha and strode out of the room.

Kara turned towards Alia and it was potentially lucky that Fleur didn't hear the next few words coming from Kara's mouth. "So, are you trying to spark her maturation?"

* * *

There were some things that never changed and that was Alia hitting the ground during a sparring session with Diana. Alia got to her feet, trying to use Diana's height against her, but Diana pressed her down, forcing her on her knees.

"One of these days, I'm going to beat you," Alia said. She tried to sweep Diana's legs out from underneath her, only that didn't go as well as she planned. "I swear, one of these days, I'll be on that short list."

Alia was taken down on the ground and Diana was on top of her. She breathed heavily when Diana pressed on top of her, forcing her down to the ground.

"I hope that you do go on that short list of people that can beat me," Diana murmured. She continued to work Alia over on the ground. "That would be great…..I need the competition. Isn't it competition that makes life worth living or something like that?"

"Yes, something like that," Alia confirmed. She pushed her way out of Diana's grip with a frown on her face.

She spun around and nailed Diana hard with a glancing shot. The two of them exchanged punches and kicks.

"So, how did you get along with Fleur?" Diana asked. She pushed Alia into a half nelson, but Alia slipped out of her grip.

"She's doing well, I think that it will be a couple of days before she's ready," Alia said. "It's amazing to have that sort of power….and the fact her cousins and her people worship me….well us….."

"I'm sure it's technically you, more than anything," Diana said. She grabbed Alia and pinned her down on the ground.

Alia almost turned Diana over. She grunted underneath her, and struggled. The only way she got up to her feet, was Diana easing up on her. She grinned when she looked at her.

"You need to work a bit more on your technique," Diana informed her.

"Yeah, well you need to stop being so perfect," Alia fired back. Diana looked taken aback by that.

"Yeah, the fact my mother has knocked me on my ass disagrees with you on that," Diana said. She could see Alia make one more move to take her out. "You're getting better in finding openings."

"Good to see that you've noticed," Alia said. "But you're still too good at closing them, until I slip through them."

She was flipped down onto the black mats one more time.

"So, after France, it's to America, isn't it?" Diana asked. She almost straddled Alia's face.

Alia wondered if she could counter this in a certain way, with her special skill with her tongue. That might have seemed like a dirty tactic, but all was fair in love and war.

She neglected to use that tactic, mostly because she wanted her first victory over Diana to be mostly on the level.

"Yes, the Evans family have properties all over the world," Alia said. "Really, getting the Potter gold only was to have loose change."

Diana chuckled. Given how well off the Amazons were, the extravagant by the terms of the magical world Potter gold was considered loose change. She shook her head, allowing Alia up to her feet.

"I believe that I've won," Diana answered. Alia shook her head. "You sure you don't have your mind on conquering the Veelas?"

"No, I have my mind on your ass, and kicking it," Alia replied. She grinned when she looked at her sister. "Mostly on your ass and it's quite the ass if I say so myself."

Diana grew flushed, shaking her head. Alia smiled when she crossed the room.

"And you know, you might beat me in battle," Alia said. She placed her arm around Diana's waist and pulled her in closely. "But your ass, it still belongs to me."

"Oh, really?" Diana asked. She couldn't believe Alia took control of her. It didn't make any sense to her. She was dominant in battle, but submissive to her younger sister.

"Yes," Alia said. She brushed her fingers against the bare skin on Diana's back and got preciously close to her anus. "Really?"

Alia kissed Diana hard on the lips. Diana closed her eyes when she could feel her sister's tongue go into her mouth. She closed her eyes, capturing Alia's tongue in her mouth. She suckled on her tongue.

Diana moaned deeply in Alia's mouth when she was backed off against the bench. Alia slowly kissed down Diana's neck and pulled off her top to expose her breasts. Her nipples were already hard, but Alia neglected them straight away.

She descended down between Diana's legs and she grinned when she was between her legs. "You might have won the battle, Princess, but I'm going to win the war. I'm going to make you submit to me."

"Oh, Hera," Diana panted. Alia was descending rather close between her legs. Her heart started to race the closer Alia got between her legs. She didn't know how to quite respond to this, but there was one thing for certain, this was going to feel amazingly delightful.

Fleur was outside of the door. She was told by Kara that Alia and Diana were sparring. When she reached outside the door, she didn't hear the sounds of battle, so she thought that it was completely safe to go inside.

She stopped with a frown, opening the door. She could see Alia kneeling down between her sisters legs.

Fleur cursed in French, blushing when she looked at the display. She was amazed to see that someone was bending that way.

Her heart was racing. Fleur watched the two of them, get extremely entangled with each other. She was amazed at the alluring movements between the both of them. She realized that this was doing wonders of pushing her along towards her magical maturity.

That was why Fleur stuck around, her eyes locked on the spectacle that was about to occur. Their entangled bodies wrapped into each other. Fleur smiled, licking her lips.

Suddenly, she could see Alia had Diana down on the ground, her ass in the air. Fleur found herself staring at Diana's ass appreciatively. She was so focused on Diana's perfect ass, that she didn't know what Alia is going to do to it.

"You might have kicked my ass," Alia said from inside the room. "But, your ass belongs to me!"

That caused Fleur to blush and she imagined Alia doing this to her. That caused her to turn fifty shades of red, imagining Alia tying her up. She also imagined Alia leading her around on a leash like Fleur was her pet.

Fleur shook her head, surely that….no, she was Veela, she was strong.

It was time to have another episode. It was almost like this latest episode was triggered by the orgasms Alia withheld and denied from Diana. Fleur raised her hand and closed her eyes. She could feel her body heat up in the worst way.

Was she going through the second to last stage of the change? God she hoped so. She reached between her legs and everything ached. No matter what, she was too hot to touch with her fingers.

"Oh, you're the bondage princess, aren't you Diana?"

Fleur couldn't relieve herself without burning her fingers. That caused the Veela princess to whimper in pleasure.

She realized what if they caught her. Suddenly, she turned around and she nearly ran smack on with one Mary Batson. Miss Batson had her fingers down the waistband of her panties.

"Sorry, I'm just….I'm lost to the bathroom," Mary said.

Fleur didn't really acknowledge the girl's stuttering defense, because she really needed to head off to relieve herself as well. There was a thump.

Despite the fact Fleur detached herself from the scene, she could see Alia dominating Diana in every which way in the back of her mind. She closed her eyes, she saw it. She opened her eyes, and she saw it. She tried to recite magical theory in her head, and all she thought was the practical of how Alia tapped Diana's ass repeatedly.

Fleur made her way to her room, her heart was racing and she could feel her body heat up. Her skin had a thick and pasty crust around it, and she dropped to the ground.

She was incased in a shell, a cocoon of some sort. She tried to claw her way out, completely feral. She had glowing golden eyes, rough skin, and jagged claws, along with feathers when her body beneath the feathers changed.

Appoline opened the door. "Fleur, keep your mind, you're going through the second to last phase of the change."

The final phase was normally the most seamless, but the second to last phase was the best. The cacoon began to crack.

Fleur gave a scream of frustration went it felt like a thousand white hot needles pierced her skin and spine at the same time. That knocked her feathers off and showed her ugly, raw red skin.

Her skin slowly glowed and things were becoming clear. She faded into a deep sleep when her body made the changes.

Appoline prevented her daughter from hitting the floor and hoisted her up, gently placing her in bed. Her pock marked skin and rough leathery hands, along with some feathers and claws, with slit like yellow eyes, was a Veela at her worst state, right before the second phase of the change had been completed.

She felt what triggered the change. Appoline remembered her daughter needed her support more than ever before, but what triggered that change got inside Appoline's mind, a half blood Veela who was fully mature.

The half blood Veela could only begin to think how it was wrecking havoc with Fleur. Appoline was pleased with how ugly her daughter looked at this point.

That meant when the change was complete, she would be beautiful beyond compare.

* * *

Elizabeth Braddock walked down the subway tunnel. "I know, yes, I know, Ali….I told you that he was trouble, I learned that the hardway. Well, I'd break it off, but be careful with it. He can be a spiteful bastard."

Betsy wished that she could put out a flier that warned about how obsessive her ex-boyfriend could be. It stalked her for almost a year, until her brother confronted him about it, and essentially put the fear of God in him. The problem was he was the type of man that woman threw their panties at, until they really got to know him.

She made her way down the subway, after the call was dropped. That was the problem with cell phones.

Betsy honestly wished that someone would invent a cell phone that would have better bloody reception.

There was a pause and she could see a figure going down the tunnel. Betsy's lips curled into a frown.

Most people in this case would mind their own business. The only problem was Betsy saw this figure about three times out of the corner of her eye.

Betsy made her way into the tunnel. She spotted mystery woman. She was dressed in an elegant white outfit, with a mask placed her mouth. Her blonde hair extended down past her shoulders.

She didn't see many blonde ninjas dressed in white. Betsy made her way down to investigate things.

The ninja removed what appeared to be a grenade and Betsy backed off.

"Okay, I don't want any trouble," Betsy said.

The mysterious blonde ninja tapped a button and threw it into the air. There was a sonic cry that echoed through the air.

It almost resembled a demented Canary cry in some way.

Betsy was staggered and the grenade was left on the ground, playing out its song, before it exploded. It was a miniature explosion, creating a cloud of dust and debris, but it left Betsy standing there.

The Braddock woman frowned. It wasn't every day that you encountered blonde ninjas at a train station and she was pretty sure that she wasn't following her by accident.

Betsy looked around to see if there was any sign of her, but she was gone. Disappearing into the night, like a ninja.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	11. Power Play

**Chapter Ten: Power Play.**

* * *

Thanks to the gifts she had, Alia always had a sixth sense that something really bad was going to occur. She could sense a burst of power coming from Fleur. There was something going on with her the moment that they arrived. While Alia learned that it was some kind of change, she really wasn't sure what that changed entailed.

Being a girl who didn't really keep her nose out from where it belonged, Alia made her way up the hallway. She could see Apolline standing outside of a warded room.

"Is Fleur alright?" Alia asked.

Apolline smiled when she turned towards Alia. "Fleur is going through a particular difficult stage of the transformation….it's nothing that she is strong enough to go through. I must say that I am pleased with how ugly it has turned her."

That caused Alia to blink in surprise. That was one of the few things that she never expected to pop out of a mother's mouth. She shook her head and frowned deep in response.

"Why would you be happy that your daughter is ugly?" Alia asked. "And shouldn't she be beautiful regardless of the changes, because you are her mother."

"I think you misunderstand me," Apolline said. She thought that Fleur really picked a noble one to help become guided through the last stage of the change. She took a step forward and gave Alia a smile. "The more hideous stage two is, the more beautiful that she is going to be when stage three happens."

Alia nodded. That made a lot of sense to her actually come to think about it. She frowned. "So how many stages are there to a Veela transformation?"

"Well, there are three, and it doesn't matter if you are a complete blooded Veela or a partially blood Veela, there will be three stages throughout the transformation," Apolline explained. This was a talk that she gave to her daughters when she was old enough to understand. She noticed Kara turned up at this moment.

"I'm sorry that if I'm interrupting anything," Kara said. She backed off, but Alia gently grabbed her hand.

Apolline shook her head in negative. "No, Kara, you're not interrupting anything. As a matter of fact, it is important for you to be here. You are Alia's Alpha, and given that Fleur will mate with Alia, you should understand this as well."

Rose turned up as well. She knew enough of this to know enough of this. She figured that it was an interesting conversation never the less.

"The initial transformation process, the primary one, can start anywhere between the age of eleven to fourteen depending on the Veela in question," Apolline explained. "They age partially, looking much younger than they truthfully are. The second stage of the maturity hits between the ages of eleven and seventeen normally."

Alia hated to say this out loud, but she felt sorry for the late bloomers.

"It is agonizing for some of them to have to wait that long, because the longer the wait, the less powerful the Veela is," Apolline explained. "We can be very prideful creatures, so an immense waiting time is not good on our ego, if I do say so myself."

Alia understood and it was easy to see why Fleur was agitated when Gabi was trying to rile her up regarding the aging thing.

"I can see that Fleur got riled up about the slow aging thing," Alia answered. She frowned when she looked at Apolline. "And the second stage…it mutates them badly."

"It's like a wicked winter before a beautiful spring," Appoline explained. "The more awful she looks, the more beautiful that she looks."

"Well, you must have looked hideous during your second transformation then," Alia answered. Kara had to duck her face to avoid the desire to laugh.

"Yes, quite," Apolline answered, shaking her head in bemusement. "And Fleur is looking really bad…..it will be safe for you to see her in a few moments. Then you can help guide her through the final stage of the transformation."

Alia could sense what Fleur was going through. Thanks to her gifts, she had an inherent connection to nature and that was connected to what Fleur was going through.

"Do you feel that Kara?" Alia asked her.

"Yes," Kara agreed. "She's going to be something when she gets through this."

Apolline was the one who could slip through the barriers rather quickly. The woman looked over her daughter. She was sprawled over her bed, looking like she went through a terrible round of withdrawal. She was shaking madly.

"Be steady, my dear flower, things will work out now, believe in that," Apolline said gently.

She kept as close as she could dare to her daughter. Fleur was slowly starting to rise out of her shell. She raised her hands up.

"I don't understand, they never said that it would be this bad," Fleur breathed heavily. Her throat felt extremely raw when she tried to get herself out into this position, but she felt like her head was on fire. Not to mention every inch of her skin, she felt like it was on fire.

"No one said that it was going to be easy, Fleur," Apolline said. "And that's the beauty of it. You are strong, you will be able to survive."

"Yes, just focus on the change, and embrace it," Alia said. She daringly stepped into the room.

Fleur looked at Alia, and her voice sounded rough. It was like she had been punched in the throat several times and her vocal cords had been compromised. "What are you doing….you shouldn't….I could really hurt you….really…really hurt you."

"No, you can't hurt me, no more than anything else actually," Alia said.

Fleur's body started to heat up. She illuminated like a particularly disturbing looking roman candle. Her hair flipped from one side of her head to the other and she allowed herself to rise to her feet.

The rest of Fleur's feathers fell to the ground. She held up her hands. They were turning less rough the more the fire washed over her body.

"Don't hold back, not on my account," Alia said. "Lot the power flow, no one can be hurt."

"No one can be hurt," Fleur whimpered. She shook her head and her heart started to race. "No one can be hurt."

"Yes, Fleur, no one can be hurt, just let the power enter you and be free!" Alia encouraged her. She leaned down and looked Fleur in the eye, quite daringly.

Fleur shook herself. It felt frigid. Her skin was heating up again. She switched from hot to hold about seven times in the moment.

Then she fell down to the ground, suddenly. It was the final step of the second stage, she could feel it.

"Get up, Fleur, face me."

Fleur felt like her body ached all over. The girl felt like she changed, both on the outside and the inside.

The girl looked at the full length mirror. Her golden blonde hair hung down with tresses down her face. Her bright blue eyes shined and she looked pleased that there was not any bit of her skin that was blemished. That was her worry. The white tattered shirt was much too small for her ample breasts now. Her stomach was toned and flat. She had perfectly shaped hips and Fleur wished she could properly see her ass, because she was sure it was amazing as well.

She could feel herself grow with pleasure. Fleur ran her hands down her shapely legs.

"I told you that it would happen," Apolline told her daughter. "Believe me, my child, you have truly been born into who you really are."

Fleur could hear words, but she could scarcely comprehend them.

Alia sensed her primal nature rising in her, and braced herself for what was going to occur next. It was because of how intune she was with the primal nature.

"You do realize when I start, I won't be able to stop until you satisfy me," Fleur said. She placed her hands on Alia.

The only thing that was preventing Fleur from completely ripping into Alia was her own self-control and will power, which was pretty strong as far as Alia was concerned. She was extremely impressed. Her hands rested on Fleur's waist and he pushed her back.

"Don't worry, I can go the distance," Alia said. She leaned on in and smirked when she leaned closer towards Fleur. "The question is, can you?"

Fleur seemed pretty determined to answer that question. She felt Alia's lips met her in a passionate fury and she sunk her tongue deep into Alia's willing and ready mouth.

She wondered why she held back. Alia guided her back onto the bed.

"I think the first thing you need to learn is how to please your mistress," Alia said.

Normally, a Veela wouldn't submit to anyone, but Alia was a demi-goddess, therefore Fleur found herself succumbing. She reached for Alia's skirt and pulled it up, to succumb herself in the delicious heaven that was found beneath.

* * *

The power flow was likely something that was not only felt through the entire Delacour Mansion, but also throughout the entire countryside of France. Mary and Donna sat around the living room.

Mary could feel the power and it caused her to grow a bit nervous. She didn't know what it was quietly, but it caused her to grow a rather expressive shade of red when she shifted against the chair that she was sitting in.

Donna, on the other hand, knew what the power was. Her sister really worked pretty fast when she wanted to. Her hand was down the side of her pants and it only took Donna a couple of seconds to realize what she was doing.

Discreetly, she lifted her hand up and licked her fingers. Obviously, Donna had a strong reaction to what her younger sister was doing to Fleur. The young Amazon turned towards Mary, who shifted in the chair.

"Are you alright?" Donna asked. She slowly rose to her feet and moved forward, essentially boxing the young Marvelous girl into the chair. "Because, you seem just a little bit tense….maybe I can help you with that?"

Mary looked at Donna, resembling a deer that had been caught in the headlights more than anything. Her mouth widened and she shook her head a few times. Donna grinned when she reached forward, slowly, carefully, playing with Mary's hair.

"I'm fine, but that was….that was wow," Mary said.

Donna decided to back off. There would be plenty of time to get Mary into their little club. Plus, it wasn't up to her to corrupt the girl's innocence.

She was reminded how the innocent girls weren't all too innocent to be honest.

Donna waited for Alia to come down the steps. Seconds later, she did. A rather weary looking Diana and Kara came down the steps with her as well.

"You're glowing again," Donna answered.

Mary, having the knowledge that she did from Solomon, knew what that kind of glow meant. She felt her mouth fell open and there were no words that came out. Well, no words that were coherent at the very least. Her mouth kept opening and closing. She resembled a fish that had been caught out of water.

"Guess that I'm glowing again," Alia confirmed with a smile. "We put as many barriers up….but obviously it didn't help."

"No, it didn't," Donna said.

"I guess that such amazing power like that, can't be chained," Mary said. "I'm pretty sure the entire country side felt that."

"Where is Fleur?" Donna asked.

"I had to help her burn off the excessive energy from the bond," Alia informed them. The girl looked pretty sheepish, but at the same time, completely pleased with herself. "But, I guess that I had her burn off a bit too much."

"That was for sure," Kara said. She helped, and Diana did too eventually. "Well, she was rather willing to please."

"Yes, she was," Alia said. She stepped forward. "Are you alright, Mary?"

"Fine," Mary said breathlessly. She closed her eyes and couldn't help, but imagine Alia bending her over the couch and violating her with a strap on.

The teenager shook her head, trying to shift her arms in front of her chest to hide her stiffening nipples. Such thoughts were extremely unbecoming of a person. She couldn't believe how….well she just couldn't believe it.

"I really hoped that I didn't scare you because of that," Alia said. "If it wasn't for the barriers, that would have been ten times more prolific than it really was."

That got an interesting reaction out of Mary. It seemed like Fleur's power combined for hers made some beautiful music that got the attention of pretty much everyone involved.

Mary could feel Alia's hand on her thigh and Alia was this close to her. "Sorry again….I should have warned you what to expect."

"You thought that it could be contained, I understand," Mary said. She closed her legs. She was feeling her panties stick to them quite nicely.

Alia's fingers lured dangerously close between then. Mary subconsciously parted her thighs, but Alia pulled away. Perhaps it was an innocent action, and Mary was just being a dirty minded pervert. She mentally reprimanded herself from that.

"I wish I was up there, it would have been interesting," Donna said. Diana turned to her middle sister.

"Well when Gabrielle goes through the change in a little bit, you're going to be sure to have a front row seat," Diana said. "I'm honestly surprised the power burst didn't jump start her maturity."

"I'm not certain it works that way," Alia said. Kara smiled when she gazed at her lover.

"That would be nice, you could have three Veela pets, as opposed to two," Kara said. It dawned on Donna that Alia tamed Apolline as well, because of course she did. Fleur's father, well he died or got abducted by UFOs or went out for cigarettes and never came back or something, Donna honestly couldn't be fussed to find out. "I mean…you got to complete the entire collection….."

"Wouldn't I need to visit Veela country and nab all of the Veelas that worship me if I need to complete the entire set?" Alia asked. Kara shrugged in response and Alia took advantage of the confusion to give her Alpha a kiss.

It was at that moment, where Alia's cell phone started ringing. She had taken rather well to technology on the main land in the few weeks that she had been here, taking care of business. She wasn't an expert, but her higher than normal brain capacity would indicate that she was going to learn extremely fast.

Alia stepped out, excusing herself to take the call, while the other girls talked amongst themselves.

"Hey, Betsy, how are you doing?" Alia asked.

"Alia!" Betsy exclaimed in an excited voice. "How are you doing? Are you enjoying France?"

"Yes, I am," Alia agreed. "The sights are pretty lovely….well in more ways than one."

That caused Betsy to chuckle in response. "I can tell that you would enjoy it….really, I'm glad that you are."

"Is there anything that you need, Betsy?" Alia asked her.

"Straight to the point, and not one for small talk," Betsy said. She seemed a bit put off by that.

"Sorry, we couldn't go straight to the phone sex," Alia answered. That caused Betsy to get more exasperated.

"Oh, what are you wearing?" Betsy asked.

"Absolutely nothing, because I just ended up deflowing a young French girl, who just happens to be a Veela," Alia said. "They're creatures that increase a lot of pheromones and pretty much cause many men and some women to become blabbering idiots. Of course, the strong willed or the asexual or the sexually repressed should be able to ward off their charm, at least in theory."

"Yes, at least in theory, that is the ticket," Betsy agreed. She frowned deeply. "Well, this didn't go in the direction that I was exactly hoping for. Perhaps it would be prudent to tell you exactly why I called you up."

"Yes, it would be," Alia agreed. "It doesn't have anything to do with the person that killed your brother, did it?"

"I'm not sure," Betsy admitted. There were a lot of questions that she needed to have answered. "There was some assassin who was mulling around near the train station this morning….I don't know what her business was. When she saw me, she made a quick getaway, so I don't think that she was attacking me."

"She must be some sloppy assassin if she was visible like that," Alia said. Something popped into her head and she frowned. "Unless, of course, she was trying to be seen."

Betsy grew silent over the phone. It was obvious she was trying to determine whether or not that was the most likely scenario that she could experience. Seconds passed when she realized that much could very well be obvious.

"You don't think, do you?" Betsy asked her. It seemed like the more answers they had, the more people kept changing all of the questions.

"I'd like to find out one way or another," Alia said. "Especially considering if it's business regarding our mutual connections."

Naturally, Betsy and Alia could not speak freely on the cell phone. There was a chance that any conversation they were having would be in monitored.

"I'm going to fly back to Britain, and we can meet….at King's Cross…..between the area of Platform Nine and Platform Ten….it's not like anyone is using that location right now," Alia mused.

Betsy had to admit that she could be colored curious about why Alia was going to meet her there of all places. "I'll be there with bells on…well more….because we're out in public."

"Yes, Betsy, I'll see you there."

* * *

Betsy waited patiently for Alia to arrive. Sure enough, she didn't have to wait too long, with Kara and Alia showing up next to her. She tried not to look too startled, even though their sudden arrival seemed to be very startling.

"At least I didn't pop up next to you," Alia said.

"I should hope that, that would be bad form and quite rude," Betsy said. "So, you got over here just fine without any problems?"

"No sweat," Kara said snapping her fingers. She allowed Alia to walk over between the barriers of Platforms Nine and Ten on King's Cross.

What Alia was doing, might seem a little bit mental to those who were casually observing on the surface. She opened a gateway for the three of them and they stepped in between it.

"A few days out of the year, this barrier is open for the students at Hogwarts, and normal enough the rest of the year," Alia said. "The runes are child's play to unscribe, if you know what you're doing."

It went unspoken that most wand wavers didn't know what they were doing.

"And how do they keep a mundane child or adult from going through when the portal is active?" Betsy asked. She didn't mean to be too questioning, but still, she would be lying if she didn't find herself a trifle bit curious.

Alia considered that question for a moment, tapping her finger underneath her chin. She paused and then she spoke. "You know, that's a pretty good question, and I honestly don't know the answer."

"And I'm sure that the Ministry given the state they were being run before Amelia took them in line didn't know either," Betsy said. She collected her thoughts. It looked like a dusty platform on the other side of the portal. "This isn't exactly the most inviting place in the world to stage a meeting, you know that?"

"Yes, I know," Alia agreed. "But despite the flaws of magic, it's certain that no one will overhear us. And we met at this time, so no one could see us go through the barrier onto the platform….with the oh so original name of nine and three quarters. Even if the platform is technically seven tenths of the way between nine and ten…..but it seems like such a minor nitpick all things considered."

Betsy would have to agree. She wondered how no one saw a bunch of children disappearing into oblivion once a year. A combination of spells, charms, and perhaps a little bit of dumb luck might in fact be the culprit to be honest. With a whole lot of dumb luck actually.

"The mysterious blonde assassin is extremely curious," Betsy admitted. "She showed up instantly and they disappeared even more instantly….she was wearing white."

Alia didn't know what the hell was happening, and when Betsy described the encounter, she had more questions, than answers, which was seldom a good thing for her.

"It could have something to do with the death of your brother…or it could be something else entirely," Alia said. "It could be that you just happened to come across an assassin who was scouting out an entirely different target."

"But wouldn't she….I don't know…kill Betsy," Kara argued. Betsy raised her eyebrow. "Not that I want to see you dead of course."

"The sentiment is really appreciated, love,' Betsy admitted. She frowned. "And I get what you're saying….I doubt very much that they….I honestly don't know what was happening. And Alia has a point, she could be hunting out another target. I just happened to be there."

"Or, they were trying to get your attention," Alia admitted.

"Well, that's an interesting way to get someone's attention, if there isn't," Betsy said. She shook her head. "I think that I need to get away from this entire mess over here. The authorities aren't a lot of help, you know. They're still clinging onto the suicide theory like it's no one's business."

Betsy thought that was a bigger insult to her brother than anything else and it insulted her a lot. Alia reached around and grabbed Betsy around the waist, pulling her into her. She wrapped her other arm around Kara.

"You're welcomed to come with me anywhere," Alia said. She smiled. "I'd love to have you."

"Unfortunately, there are still a few things that I have to get back in order," Betsy admitted. "If there wasn't, I would have been with you lot in France."

Alia understood better than anyone else. There really wasn't much more of anything that they could say.

The group returned from the portal.

"Do you think that you can stay for one drink?" Betsy asked. "I swear, this time it's going to be just one drink."

Alia laughed. "Are you sure about that, Betsy?"

"Well, there was a reason why I was hitting it extremely hard that night, as you well know," Betsy said. Alia placed her hands on Betsy's waist and leaned in towards her.

"Yes, I know," Alia said.

The two of them leaned in close to each other and their lips were inches away from meeting with a kiss.

A whirl from the air caused Alia to snap away from Betsy and she caught a dagger in her hands casually. That caused Betsy to jump halfway up into the air.

Alia looked up and saw a masked assassin with dark hair disappear into the shadows. The dagger, still freshly thrown, rested in her hands.

"What the hell just happened?" Kara asked.

Alia thought that her Alpha spoke for everyone. Betsy was confused, Alia was confused, everyone was confused.

"Was that dagger meant for me or you?" Betsy asked.

Alia didn't have any answers and she was kind of annoyed because of that. The dagger still rested in her hand. She pondered that one carefully.

The two incidents might be connected. She was certain of that.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	12. A Quest for Answers

**Chapter Eleven: Quest for Answers.**

* * *

One thing was sure about Alia, when she got fixated, she could get fixated like it was no one's business. This time, there was something about the material on this dagger that called out for her. She frowned when she looked it over. There was something about it that seemed strange.

Alia closed her eyes and mentally racked her brain for the source of the metal. It was almost like she saw this particular brand of dagger. She frowned when she kept roaming her eyes over the edge of the dagger.

Things got even more curious when she looked the dagger over. The frown crossing over her face became extremely prominent the more she looked over the weapon. It was scary how fixated she got. She was sure that her fellow bond mates commented on how fixated she got during this situation.

The only problem was Alia didn't really pay them much mind. She kept looking over the dagger. This was a quest for answers, answers she needed to receive and soon.

"And it was obvious that someone was going to try to get your attention and it worked."

Rose made her way inside the room and walked up behind the chair. She put her hands on the back of her niece's neck and slowly rubbed it. Alia was tense, and Rose knew all about working out a woman's tension.

"Yes, they got my attention," Alia said. "No one does something like that. They could have easily made it a lethal shot, but they knew that I was going to catch the dagger. And if they didn't, they would have made a follow up, wouldn't they?"

Those were questions that were extremely rhetorical and Alia knew the answers to them all. It was obvious that the person intended to get her attention. If they intended to kill her, that was easier said than done first of all, but if they did, it wasn't going to be with one attack. She could pretty much take that much to the bank.

"It does look to be some kind of ancient artifact," Rose answered.

"Yes, that's the problem, isn't it?" Alia asked. "I know that it's some kind of ancient artifact, but I can't figure out when and where it was manufactured."

Rose would have to agree, that did sound like a bit of a problem. She frowned, racking her brain for a way to assist her niece. It hit her in a flash of light.

"I think that I have an idea," Rose said. "I have a contact in the United States who might be able to figure out what the dagger is. If you'd like, I could give her a call and see if she could find out anything about it….you might have to bring it over there."

"Well, that's no problem," Alia said. She wanted to get to the bottom of this and quickly. If there was one thing Alia detested more than anything, it was a mystery that was unsolved. She shook her head, clearing it. "Just tell me what I need to do, and I'll be there."

"Right, I'll get in touch with her right away," Rose said. She exited the room, leaving her niece alone with her thoughts and her obsessions.

Alia continued to look at the dagger. It was almost as if it taunted back at her. She knew that she should just try to get some sleep, because staring at a dagger for the past twelve hours in an attempt to figure out what in the name of Hades just happened, wasn't really healthy.

She was too far gone into her obsessions that logic and reasoning kind of did fall by the wayside.

Rose returned to the room and gently grabbed Alia by the hand. There would be very few people that Alia would allow to do this to her, without getting slammed down onto the ground. Rose was one of the few that she allowed this time of allowance to.

"I called her and she said that she would be happy to meet with you," Rose said.

Alia shook her head. "Wonderful…..let me just get my coat, and I'll be on my way."

"Alia, I know that you're anxious," Rose said. Alia raised her eyebrow in response. "But, you know that you can't just appear in the middle of Metropolis, without technically arriving there in the first place."

Alia shook her head. She had forgotten about that. She hated when people were right and she was wrong. That was just the high strung nature that she had.

"If I might make a suggestion," Rose offered. "The Evans family has a private jet. It might be prudent for you to take it when you've had a good nights sleep. And I'm certain that Diana and Kara will enjoy the field trip as well."

Alia thought that she should spend some time with both of her Alphas to make sure that they were on the same page. This trip, while technically a business trip, was one that she should make sure everyone was coercer.

The competitive spirit between Diana and Kara, while endearing sometimes, could flare up at the worst possible times imaginable.

"But, first you should get some sleep," Rose commented gently. Alia turned towards her and was about to protest that she didn't need sleep.

The yawn betrayed her, when she shook her head in response. She decided that she was going to sleep on this, and return with a clearer head.

Kara was waiting for her, and she took Alia by the hand and lead her off to bed. The two disappeared.

Rose admitted she was curious about the dagger, although not near to the point of obsession like her niece was. She would figure out what secrets the dagger held in all due time.

* * *

"So, what exactly happened between you and Alia?" Gabrielle asked. The younger Veela looked towards Fleur with a frown on her face.

"You'll learn all about it when you'll older," Fleur said. "When you hit your maturity, it will be clearer."

"Fleur!" Gabrielle whined. "I'm not stupid, you know."

"Never said that you were, Gabi," Fleur said. She patted her sister on the head. "Hang in there, it will start happening before you know it. Hopefully it won't take six years for you to go through the full change."

Gabrielle felt that was her karma for needling Fleur about it potentially taking that long to go through the courtship process.

The twins laughed at the look at discomfort on Gabrielle's face. She responded by giving them a look like she wanted to set fire on them with her mind. That only caused Amanda and Emily to snort in a greater round of laughter.

Mary was watching the interplay. All of this talk about the maturity was causing her to become nervous, especially because of the naughty dreams that she was having. They invaded her sleep and caused her sheets to become sticky. She flushed when she thought about it.

She shook her head when she saw Fleur looking at her. She wondered about the look in the eyes of the part Veela. There was something in her eyes that she felt exciting, and increasingly taboo.

Alia entered the room, with Kara in toe, and Diana and Donna followed closely behind them. Fleur bounced to her feet and rushed over towards Alia, a fretful look currently on her face.

"Are you alright?" Fleur asked. "I sensed what was happening, and….."

"I don't think that they wanted to attack me," Alia informed her. Fleur nodded in response. "I think that they wanted to send me a message. I'm not sure why, or for what reason, but the sentiment was there."

Fleur snorted in response. "One would think that there would be far better ways to go through the courtship process, wouldn't there?"

"One would think that, yes," Alia agreed with Fleur. She placed her hand on Fleur's and the young Veela smiled. "But, we're working with people who might not think in the most logical of ways."

"I guess that you're correct about that," Fleur agreed. She frowned deeply. "But, they better watch what they're doing. If they think that they can do something like this and declare war on the Society…they must be sorely mistaken. And they are also declaring war on the entire Veela nation when they attacked you."

"Well, then they should fear the consequences of what's going to happen, if that was an act of malice," Alia said.

Was it an act of malice? She wasn't entirely sure that it was. There were many questions that were unanswered. Alia was hoping to figure out what the dagger was made of and get to the bottom of this.

And obviously the best way to get to the bottom of this, was to get straight to the top of this, and that was to find out who sent ninja girl with an attitude after her. And whether or not she was connected with the blonde ninja that Betsy had an encounter with.

"We're going to be gone for a few days, shouldn't be more than three or four, unless something goes wrong," Alia said.

"You never should say that, trust me on that," Fleur said. She had tempted fate at least once in the past with the hope that nothing went wrong. Things often did go wrong.

Alia frowned and shook her head. "I'm sure that everything will be fine, Diana and Kara are coming with me. It's going to be a bit of a flight, but we're taking the Evans family jet."

It was going to give them an excellent opportunity to scout some potential places to settle down in the United States as well when Alia's business in Europe was completed. She had a couple of loose ends to tie up to be honest, but other than that, she was fine.

"Oh, that should be interesting," Donna said. She looked at Diana with a teasing look. "It's a pity that it's likely not invisible."

That caused Diana to give Donna one of those looks. Donna leaned back in response and she turned to Gabi and the twins. "Diana wanted an Invisible Jet….she wanted one for an extremely long time."

Amanda piped up with the question that would live in infamy. "Why would you need an invisible jet if you could fly?"

Diana shook her head and Kara, with a smirk on her face, leaned in towards Diana. "That is a fair point….why do you want an Invisible Jet if you can fly?"

Diana sighed. She was really going to never live that one down.

"We better get ready to go," Alia said. She smiled when she looked at Diana and Kara who nodded.

She moved to her room and carefully wrapped up the dagger. Hopefully they would have answers. Right now, they ran around in circles like rats on wheels.

* * *

Metropolis Airport was where Alia, Kara, and Diana touched down, in the Evans family Private Jet. The three girls exited.

Kara dressed in a blue jean jacket, red top, and red skirt. Alia wore a black jacket, a nice button green top that matched her eyes, and a skirt that showed off her legs, but retained some form of modesty to add to the fun and games.

Diana had her hair tied back and she was wearing a pair of glasses. She didn't need them because of her perfect vision, but it really added to her appeal and enhanced her blue eyes. She wore a button up white top and a flowing black skirt, along with heels. She resembled a sexy librarian.

"That does look like a nice outfit, Diana," Alia answered.

"Well, I figured that it would be a good idea if I dressed the part," she commented. She groaned when she shifted on a pair of high heels. She had no idea how on Earth anyone walked on these blasted things to be honest with you.

"Oh, you look the part, and you look the part good," Alia answered. She grinned when she turned and looked towards Kara. "She does look the part good, doesn't she?"

Kara might have been at odds with Diana for several reasons, but even she couldn't deny that she looked the part. She nodded in affirmation with a smile on her face.

Diana was glad that she looked quite professional. The moment they arrived at one of the more prestigious museums in Metropolis, Alia stopped at the door. She consulted the information Rose gave her.

"So, this is the place, isn't it?" Kara asked.

"Yes," Alia agreed. "This is the place. We're looking for a Doctor Helena Sandsmark…she should be able to….."

Alia didn't get an opportunity to finish her statement. A young blonde blur pretty much shot out of nowhere like a bolt out of hell.

They had to dodge the incoming girl, who stopped. She looked to be in a hurry about something, but she stopped when she saw the three figures that were standing at the doorway, looking at her in bemusement.

She offered them a very breathy. "Can I help you?"

"Well, we're looking for Doctor Helena Sandsmark, do you know where she is?" Alia asked her.

The girl's, who looked to be about thirteen or so years old, looked into Alia's eyes, and shook her head when she cleared it. "Yeah…that's my mom…she's…um she's working upstairs on something. I know that's not that big of a help, but she's always working upstairs on something, because that's what she does. Work on stuff."

Alia gave Kara a look of warning not to say a word about the girl's insane babbling. Kara threw her hands back, and kept her lips shut for the moment.

"Do you think that you could take us to her?" Alia asked in a kind voice. The girl's eyes popped up and widened.

"Actually, there is no need for anyone to take you to me, because I was expecting you….Alia wasn't it."

A rather attractive woman who was in her mid to late thirties, or there about, showed up. She wore her dark hair pinned back in a bun and she was wearing a thick pair of glasses and a rather conservative looking dress. Despite that fact, it was not hard to see that she was absolutely beautiful.

"Alia isn't it?" she asked. She smiled. "And you must be Diana, and Kara."

"Yes, Doctor Sandsmark, it's a pleasure to meet you," Alia said. She stuck out her hand for the good doctor to shake.

Cassie realized something. She was face to face with Alia Evans, the heiress of the Evans business empire. The Evans family backed some of her mothers greatest finds with funding. And she was standing in the presence of an absolute goddess.

"Oh my, you're Alia Evans!" she squealed. "I didn't know that you were returning…..I didn't know you were this young, and this beautiful….not that I didn't think that you would be ugly….but this is just…this is just…oh wow, this is just…."

"Cassandra," Helena said in a firm voice. That caused her daughter's gaze to snap up to meet her mother's. "Do you not have homework that you need to complete?"

"Um yeah, I do have homework, yes, that's where I was going," Cassie said. She cursed herself for tripping over her tongue.

"Well, she's full of energy," Kara said. She looked towards Alia, meeting her eyes.

Alia would have normally been intrigued by this possibility, but it was down for business. "Doctor Sandsmark, do you think that you have a place where we can look at something…without prying eyes?"

"Yes, there's a room upstairs that only I and about three other people have access to," Helena answered. "And since all of them are gone, that proves that we shouldn't be bothered."

Helena led Diana, Kara, and Alia up the set of stairs into this room. The moment they were inside, Helena pulled the door shut. It clicked shut and she turned towards Alia.

"Now, what is it you got to show me?" Helena asked her.

"It's this," Alia responded. She removed a dagger and placed it out in front of Helena's line of sight. "This was….well it's an interesting story."

Helena was all ears, when Alia told her what happened. She was intrigued by the make of the dagger, it looked rather exotic.

"So, do you think that you can tell us anything about this, so Alia quits obsessing over it?" Diana asked Helena.

Helena chuckled at the interplay between the two girls. "Well, the dagger is certainly Egyptian made and made of an extremely rare metal. I remember hearing of a similar looking dagger being used in a murder here in Metropolis….it was a high level business executive who made the wrong kind of enemies."

Alia wondered if the two incidents were connected. She seldom believed in coincidence, especially in circumstances like this.

"The man was found dead in the room, that was completely locked from the inside," Helena continued. "Except for a hole in the wall, but someone would have to be precise, good, excellent to get the dagger through that hole and kill a person in one shot."

"So, I guess we're dealing with a skilled murderer," Alia said. She pinched the bridge of her nose and allowed herself a sigh.

She was intrigued, but there were a couple of questions.

She could see Cassie peer around the corner of the room. She realized she was spotted and she jolted down the stairs suddenly.

'_Someone has a stalker!' _Kara thought.

'_We should keep an eye on her,' _Alia thought. That caused Diana and Kara to look at her strangely in surprise. _'There's something about her.'_

'_What?' _Diana thought.

'_I don't know,' _Alia thought. _'But there's something about her that we should keep an eye on. It's just an instinct that I have, trust me.'_

'_Famous last words,' _Kara joked in response.

Alia frowned and turned her attention back to Helena. "Thanks for your help, Doctor Sandsmark."

"No problem, let me know if any of you need anything else, anything at all," Helena said. She handed them a business card and also a slip of paper. "My business number, and my personal number….if you can't get ahold of me on the business like. You know, in case of an emergency."

It was becoming extremely clear where Cassie got it from. Alia picked up the dagger and left.

It was getting close to lunch time and they decided that it would be best to have lunch right now.

* * *

Diana, Alia, and Kara headed off to lunch. The two of them seemed to want to get close enough to Alia, before the two of them got close to her.

"So, what's our next move?" Kara asked.

"Well, until someone shows themselves, or we find out more information, I'm not sure," Alia said. "But the two of you…you need to step back. This isn't a competition."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Diana said. She frowned when she shook her head.

"I know the two of you are always jockeying for position," Alia said. "I know you're not doing it completely on purpose, but you're doing it on a subconscious level. And…it's going to color what both of you are doing."

"I guess that I'm still a bit….put off," Diana said.

"And I guess that I'm just happy that I actually beat Diana at something, and want to maintain that advantage," Kara said. She sighed. "And I wished that she would give me that moment, because….wells he always kicks my ass in sparring."

"Don't worry, she kicks mine as well," Alia responded.

Diana turned towards both girls, her eyebrow lifted up. "Don't worry, both of you are getting better."

"Keep telling me that, one day it could come true," Kara said in response.

The three girls got up after their lunch was concluded. They would head over to the Penthouse that the Evans family owned.

"Is there any city in the world that the Evans family doesn't own a penthouse?" Kara asked Alia, almost teasingly.

"Well, we can't have one in every city in the world, that would be absurd," Alia informed her. "We have them in Metropolis, New York, Central City, Los Angeles, London, Paris…"

She was stopped short by a loud sound of something crashing in the alleyway. Alia's razor sharp hearing picked up something going on in the alleyway beside her.

She spotted a young female who was struggling against a group of goons. Blonde hair covered half of her face. She wore a black choker collar, a leather jacket, a tight white top, and a pair of tight, form fitting jeans.

Alia realized that she was able to hold her own pretty well. Despite that, Alia wasn't going to stand back and not join in on the fun.

One of the goons was grabbed by the shoulder and launched back into the trash cans. The other girls turned their attention to Alia.

The mysterious blonde snapped several bones in the leg of one of the enemies with a violent kick. She watched Alia beat the ever living shit out of these bastards. They landed onto the ground.

Alia pulled the mask off of one of the men. He looked to be Asian, and the most curious thing was that his pinky ring had been cut off. She was going to have to make a note about this.

"So are you okay?" Alia asked. "Why were they after you?"

Instead of an answer, the mystery blonde grabbed Alia and pulled her forward into an intense kiss. Needless to say, that caught her unaware. The woman made a show of shoving her tongue down Alia's throat and trying to assault her tonsils.

Alia blinked and seconds later, she was gone, without a trace. She was pretty good.

Mystery blonde with fighting skills…..suddenly everything clicked in Alia's mind.

She stepped on the wrist of one of the downed men and made herself scarce when the police had obviously been called because of the disturbance.

There might be more to this than met the eye at first.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	13. Uncovering Answers

**Chapter Twelve: Uncovering Answers.**

* * *

Alia was the type of person who no matter what, was not just going to let things go. Even when she should, especially when she should, and she found herself trying to recover from what happened. This mysterious female was in her mind and now she was completely baffled. She had finished retelling the story for Donna, Kara, and Diana.

"You know, that little tease shouldn't be allowed to get away with that," Kara commented.

Alia shook her head. "I'm not sure if she's trying to be a little tease or not. I think that she was trying to get my attention."

"And it worked, didn't it?" Diana asked. She sat down and thought about this. "Don't you think that this is a bit curious that she just showed up like this and happened to be attacked and then started to fight back the moment that you got involved."

Donna laughed. "Yeah it was almost like she was auditioning for your collective."

Alia smiled, despite herself. The wheels were turning in her mind the more that she thought about it. There was one fact buried in the forefront of her mind. That was that this mysterious blonde could be the same mysterious blonde that Betsy encountered in the subway system.

"You know, I don't believe in coincidences," Alia remarked, almost casually. Kara smiled. "I think we can both agree that things always happen for a reason."

"Yeah, that's obvious," Kara agreed. She thought that her ship crashing in the location where it was, was absolute proof of that. "But, you really think that this is all tied together?"

"Well, yes, I do," Alia said. She sounded rather confident in herself and her ability to piece this together. "Mysterious blonde in the subway tunnel gets Betsy's attention. She must know that Betsy was in with me."

"Yeah, you figure that, don't you?" Kara asked. She clung onto Alia. "At least that went better than the last close encounter you got."

Diana and Donna turned towards Kara and she clarified something. "Well, wouldn't you rather get kissed, then get a dagger thrown at your face?"

Donna shrugged and grinned. "When you say it, that's actually a good point, wouldn't you agree Diana?"

"Heavens yes," Diana said. She could see that her sister's mind was going off somewhere else. "So, I guess we're sticking around a little bit longer."

"Well, I want to move over to the States full time, you know," Alia informed them. They were all aware of them. "But I have a few things to take care of Europe before things are all said and done, you know."

"Yes, we know," Diana said. She recalled why she was here and she was going to have to head off with a meeting with the UN in a couple of days, so she would have to stick around whether or not Alia did.

Alia picked up the phone and dialed long distance. She could more than foot the bill, so she honestly didn't care.

She waited for the phone to ring and there was a tired voice that picked up. "Hello?"

"Oh, sorry, Rose, I forgot about the time difference," Alia said. She sounded like she felt awful.

"No, I've just had an extremely long night, lot of business to do," Rose said. "Not as bad as the night Amelia though."

"What kind of night did she have?" Alia asked.

"There are still a few stubborn wizards that don't want to let go of the past," Rose said. "That has been a problem with that world ever since the time Hogwarts was set up."

Alia sighed. There were some people who liked tradition and she accepted that fact. But there were times where that tradition died rather hard and fast on the vine. The world changed, fairly often, whether people wanted to or not.

'_It's a recurring problem the entire universe over,' _Kara thought. She frowned. _'And that's why I'm here, and not on Krypton.'_

'_It really does work out just as well,' _Alia agreed. She held Kara's hand and she decided to explain to Rose.

"I'm going to be here for a few more days," Alia informed her. "Remember the mysterious blonde ninja that Betsy ran into?"

"Yes," Rose confirmed. She sounded tense. "And I also remember the mysterious attacker that tried to throw a dagger at your face."

"It's an ancient artifact and made of a rare and extremely durable metal, at least that's what Doctor Sandsmark told me," Alia explained. "I haven't been able to find out much more information, when this came up."

Rose listened patiently when Alia explained to her about the encounter that she had. The youngest Evans sister sounded fairly amused. "You're not going to let her get away with this, are you?"

Alia's firm response was amusing to some of the girls that were listening in. "You better believe that I'm not going to let her get away with this Aunt Rose. I'll find out what dangerous game she's playing."

"Just be careful," Rose said. She knew that held about as much weight to Alia as it did whenever someone said that to Lily or when Lily said it to her.

"I always am, sometimes it does well, and other times….well not so well," Alia said. Kara and Diana both snorted and Alia looked over her shoulder towards them. "I'll call again later….to let you know when exactly I'm coming back home."

"Thank you, Alia, and good luck with whatever you find," Rose said. She stifled a yawn. "Let me know if you need anything."

"I will, I love you, Aunt Rose, good bye," Alia said.

"I love you too, Alia," Rose said and she hung up the phone.

Alia turned around and thought about digging around more on the dagger. Doctor Sandsmark gave her a good enough head start, but she wanted to get further than that. And the best place to dig deeper was the Internet.

"You know, you've adapted to man's world a little too fluidly," Donna said. She could see Alia utilize the laptop and get online.

Alia didn't say anything. She just wished that she would be able to find out the mysterious blonde girl and see if she was the same as the ninja. If there was anything that annoyed Alia, it was a mystery.

* * *

Princess Alia was blissfully unaware of the fact that the mysterious blonde was just slipping into a hotel room that was about three doors down from hers.

The blonde slipped off her jacket and placed it on the back of her chair. A folder was dropped on the bed.

The girl plopped on the bed and flipped through the newspaper clippings through the folder. It detailed the disappearance of Oliver Queen and the wreck of the Queen's gambit. That wasn't of the gravest importance now, but it was interesting to see what they had said about her. The world thought that she was dead and they were right in a sense. That was another lifetime ago and she had been reborn into something else.

She unclipped her hair and let it flow freely down her face. She continued to flip through the reports.

A pair of hands found their way onto the back of her shoulders and started to massage them. She tensed up, and then she relaxed immediately. The hands worked their delicious and sinful magic, working circles around her.

Suddenly, they stopped, and the girl on the bed groaned. She found what she was looking for. "I didn't ask you to stop, I know."

"I know you didn't, but we need to talk and it's best if your mind doesn't go….elsewhere, when you talk," the second voice in the room commented.

The blonde sighed and swung her legs off of the bed. They were dangling over the side. The stunningly gorgeous dark haired woman with exotic features stood. She was dressed in a red top and black pants that fit around her body shortly. Her red top showed a generous amount of cleavage, but was not over the top.

"So, Sara…..it seems like that you've sent a powerful message of your own today, didn't you?" the dark haired woman commented. She decided to sit down on the bed next to the blonde. "I was surprised that you would try something so brazen and so reckless."

"At least I didn't throw a dagger at her face, which is bond to piss her off more than anything," Sara suggested. The dark haired girl raised her eyebrow.

"For the record, I wasn't trying to harm her, merely I was trying to test her," the woman commented. "And she passed the test with flying colors. Her reflexes and knowledge of her surroundings was on point."

"Well, when I kissed her, I threw her completely off balance," Sara said. "It's obvious that this wasn't the first time that she kissed another woman."

"Well, then you should feel very blessed that you were able to get away without her slapping some kind of tracer on you," the dark haired woman said. "So, is she what we're looking for?"

"I think so," Sara told her. "The people she beat up might agree as well when they recover from getting out of the hospital."

"They were well compensated," the dark haired woman said. "But, is she the one?"

"I looked into her green eyes and I knew it was her," Sara said, almost wistfully.

"Should I be concerned about your infatuation with her?" the dark haired woman asked her. "I would hate to think that I was expendable."

Sara cupped the dark haired woman's face and spoke in a reassuring voice. "Nyssa, trust me….you're not. But I can see that you have as much of an interest as you do, with her."

"Yes, although I don't know if I agree with you making such a public display," Nyssa said. The Daughter of the Demon frowned. "But, we're one step closer to achieving our mission. You do recall the reason why we sought her out in the first place."

"Of course, I haven't forgotten," Sara said. She knew that the person involved would not be pleased if they got side tracked from their mission. "Have you been able to find out anything?"

There were rare times where Nyssa looked like she lost some kind of control, but this was one of those times where she did. "Unfortunately, I haven't."

Nyssa pulled out a rather worn picture of a girl that looked about five or so years ago. She looked so stoic, so serious, it was almost horrifying.

Sara noticed that there was a look of pure fear etched in her eyes as well.

"So, this is her?" Sara asked. She wondered what kind of awful person would do something to a child to put her in such a state. She flipped over the photo.

The words "don't worry, beloved, our daughter is in good hands" were hastily scrawled on the photo. The statement along with the picture made Sara's blood boiled.

"The bastard was rather cheeky to fault….her, like that, wasn't he? " Nyssa asked. "He's been on the run from the League for ten years."

"Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that he has been on the run from her?" Sara asked.

Nyssa smiled in spite of the situation. Her beloved really was on the mark. Ra's Al Ghul seemed unconcerned about this individual.

Then again, her father had been acting quite peculiar as of late. Nyssa glimpsed him meeting with a mysterious figure, who looked to be of the shady sort. He was gone before Nyssa could take a second look. Her father told her that it was none of her concern when she approached it on it.

Nyssa dropped the matter, but she hadn't forgotten about the matter.

"She must be about fourteen or fifteen now?" Sara asked.

"Roughly," Nyssa agreed. "The Dragon has taken human form, and she could be valuable for us."

Sara privately thought that Nyssa was still catering to her father and trying to prove her worth to him. She didn't want to break her beloved's heart and tell her that she was fighting a losing battle.

"Don't worry, I'll share the wealth," Sara said.

"Well, she wouldn't be over here if it wasn't for me throwing a dagger in her face," Nyssa said. "If anything is sharing the wealth, it will be me with you."

Her Amazon training made her an extremely attractive partner to both of them and likely many other women as well. Many men likely, but for all of the wrong reasons, and if the legends were true, they were fighting an uphill struggle to gain her approval.

* * *

Alia was sprawled out on the bed, with a headset in her ears, and she was currently searching away. After Rose taught her how to use a computer, Alia adapted to it pretty quickly. She was always a quick learner, and a bit of a perfectionist in some ways.

Currently, she was searching for information on the dagger. She was also searching for information about her mysterious blonde stranger who had kissed her.

'_Someone is obsessing a bit too much,' _Fleur said in a slightly teasing voice to her.

'_Well, a gorgeous blonde does tend to leave an impression you,' _Alia thought.

'_Well, I can't argue with that,' _Fleur commented. Kara laughed.

'_I would have to agree as well,' _Kara said.

Alia was currently poking around. She was trying to get in touch with her friend that she made already, who was going under the name "Oracle."

"Hi," Oracle said, piping up in the headset. "Sorry, I just got a new headset, and I'm ironing the kinks of it so…..Alex….what's been new with you?"

"Oh, nothing much," Alia said. She used her name in the world of wand wavers as her alias online. It was a masterstroke because no one with a wand would even be online. She thought that she was going to get away with this quite nicely. "I need your input on something….I know that you have your sources."

"Well, I know where to ask around, if I need to," Oracle said. She smiled.

"I'm going to send you a picture, and I need you to see if you have anything on it," Alia said. She hit sent, sending a picture of the dagger.

There was a long pause and Alia was worried that they lost the connection.

"Oracle, are you there?" Alia asked.

"Where did you come across this dagger?" Oracle asked.

"Why do you want to know?" Alia asked.

"Because this dagger belongs to Ra's Al Ghul," Oracle informed him. "He's a global terrorist with legions of devoted followers."

Alia knew the name Ra's Al Ghul. She heard it amongst the Amazons and the name wasn't too favorable. Alia decided not to overplay her hand.

"One of his assassins decided to throw it at me," Alia said.

"And you lived?" Oracle asked her. She sounded astonished, impressed, and maybe a tad bit scared all rolled into one. "How in the hell could you survive something like that?"

"I'm lucky, I guess," Alia responded. Granted there was a fair amount of skill involved. "So, that dagger belongs to this Raz guy?"

"It's pronounced Raash, rhymes with vase," Oracle corrected her.

"Well whoever he is, it belongs to me," Alia said. "I don't know what I did to him."

"That makes two of us," Oracle said.

"At least the other attack I experienced today was more pleasurable," Alia responded.

That was going to catch Oracle's attention more than anything. "Oh…do tell!"

"Well, there was this blonde who I ran into, she was getting attacked by thugs, and I thought that she was in trouble," Alia said. "And I didn't want to stand back and just let her get pummeled by these goons."

"So, you went in there, and saved her," Oracle said. "That was pretty reckless."

"Well, she didn't need much saving, because she turned around and beat the ever living crap out of them just as well on her own," Alia said. "She looked to be someone who was quite daring."

Oracle listened fairly closely when her contact gave her more details. Perhaps she was jumping to the world's biggest conclusion. This wasn't the first time that such a girl had been sighted, although the sightings were many months apart. And she most certainly didn't make such an impact like she did with this one.

"I'm going to send you a picture, and I want your opinion on something," Oracle said. "Don't worry, it's decent, it's not porn or spyware, or anything."

"Don't worry, I trust you," Alia said.

Oracle sent the picture straight through. Alia waited a few seconds for the picture to come through. She was caught off guard with the picture and she frowned.

"That's her," Alia muttered.

"That's her, are you sure?" Oracle asked. There was a tone in her voice that sounded extremely hopeful.

Alia was glad to have a clear and solid lead. She looked over the picture a little bit more and scanned it. "Yes, she looks like a few years younger, but that's here. Who is she?"

"Sara Lance," Oracle replied. "And she's supposed to be dead."

She sent her an article about this. Alia read the article and that pretty much raised more questions than it did answers. The longer she looked over it, the more that she was confused. Oracle sent a few more pictures. Alia looked over them and each piece of evidence showed her the light.

"That's her, that's most certainly her," Alia said. There was another question that came to her mind. "How is that possible?"

"I don't know," Oracle said. "Dead girls don't normally come back to life."

"Unless they weren't really dead in the first place," Alia said. "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure to help," Oracle said. She frowned and asked again. "Do you need anything else?"

"I think that I'm good," Alia said. "Thank you, you've been very helpful."

She could almost hear the joy in Oracle's voice when she responded. "No, thank you, you've been extremely helpful."

That caused Alia to ponder nice and hard about what she said. There was something about Oracle that made her consider whether or not Oracle was investigating the mysterious blonde girl.

Perhaps Alia should investigate this Oracle, to see who she was. She was curious and that was just another mystery on her hands. And if there was one thing that Alia hated, were mysteries? Why was she experiencing the strangest sense of deja-vu?"

* * *

A blonde woman wearing tight black pants and a black top decided to crash down on the couch of her apartment. It was a long day and she was mostly at her wits end after what happened.

Dinah Laurel Lance thought that she would take a light night for once in her life. She had been working extremely hard from both ends, to the point where she thought that she was going to lose her mind.

It was like this for the past three years, ever since her sister died. She decided to train how to defend herself to keep her mind off of the sorrow. Her mother left, her father was taking the death of his youngest daughter too hard, and her sister….well she was gone.

Every time Laurel saw a blonde on the street, she thought against all hope that it was her sister. The nature of why she was on that ship caused a stir to go through her stomach and she wished to have some closure more than anything.

She heard her cell phone ring and that brought her out of the thoughts. It was Barbara. She reached over, and grabbed the phone. "Hey, Babs, how are you doing?"

"Fine, all things considered," Barbara said. "You know me, I've been really busy. My work in Gotham City….it never ends."

Laurel shook her head, laughing. That was one thing that she could count on with Barbara, she could make her smile and make her laugh. She helped her get through some rough times to be honest.

"So, you've really going hitting things hard?" Barbara asked her. "I mean, you must be putting in ten hours a day…..and then there's your training. Do you find time to sleep, ever?"

"Do you?" Laurel asked her.

"Ah, touche," Barbara said. "But, seriously, Dinah, I'm worried about you. It's been three years and….."

"If you're going to tell me that I should keep holding onto false hope, then you're….well actually you're right," she responded. She gave a long sigh. "I guess I'm going to move on, because….Sara wouldn't have wanted me not to live my life."

"Oh boy," Barbara groaned.

"What?" she asked.

"I've….got news," Barbara said. She actually had been going over this in her mind during the last hour after she learned it. "I've been talking to someone….who actually has been feeding me information on a couple of things that have been going on. A couple of high society crimes, she put me in the right direction and I passed the information onto him, so he could go in and do what he does best."

There was no need for Laurel to ask, she knew who Barbara was talking about.

"She ran into a blonde, and it was Sara," Barbara said. "She's alive."

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	14. Closing In

**Chapter Thirteen: Closing In.**

* * *

Laurel froze completely. She didn't really know what to say about this. The phone dangled from her hand and she gave a heavy breath into her body. She was completely shocked beyond all belief. Actually the fact that she was shocked beyond all belief would be putting things mildly.

She had thought about Sara for the past couple of years when she disappeared. She didn't find out until much later that she was gone and wished that she was more observant. She hoped that she would come walking through the door like nothing bad happened.

She stood, her mouth opening and shut completely. Barbara cleared her throat. "Dinah Laurel Lance, are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm still here," Laurel said. She brushed her hair out of her eyes. "I heard you right, you said that Sara is still alive, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did," Barbara said. She knew that her girlfriend was flabbergasted, but that was just putting things mildly.

"You're kidding?" Laurel asked.

"You want this to be true, but you can't bring yourself to believe it," Barbara said. "I have to admit, I had my doubts. I started talking to this girl, who encountered her in the alleyway, and…..well it's her, it has to be. There's no other logical explanation for it."

Laurel ran her hand through her hair and hummed underneath her breath. She didn't know whether or not she could take this right now. She knew that Barbara wouldn't lie to her, if she had a strong hunch about something, but people could be mistaken.

"She was most certainly in Metropolis as of a couple of days ago," Barbara chimed in. "I'm not sure whether or not she's there anymore."

Laurel placed her hand underneath her chin and carefully thought about what she was going to do now. She had a feeling deep in her gut that this could be Sara, but there was something holding her back, that made her less than certain. She didn't want to go all in unless she was completely sure what she was getting into.

"Babs, could I ask you for a big favor?" Laurel asked.

"Of course, what?" Barbara asked. She wondered about this.

Laurel chose her next few words extremely carefully when she spoke. "You….can you please keep this between the two of us?"

"Yeah, I guess," Barbara said. "I mean….there's a chance that this might not be Sara, but I'm pretty sure that it is."

Laurel nodded. "I mean it, you can't really tell anyone, not your father, especially your father. Your father, he can't know about this at all."

"Hmm, you're really asking me for something big there," Barbara said.

Laurel said. "Your father….if he finds out, he might tell my father, and….well you know how much of a wreck that he got after he thought that Sara was dead. I don't think that he could take any false hope on the off chance that you're wrong. If she's here….we'll deal with it then."

"The real question is where she's been for three years?" Barbara asked. "Oh, and I won't say anything, if you don't want to. It will be up to you to tell your father, whatever you want to tell him."

Laurel frowned. "I won't tell him anything, at least until I know for sure."

She made her way to her feet and started walking with her phone. She started to pace around like a caged animal when she made her way up and down.

"Just promise me you won't do anything like look for her," Barbara said. That caused Laurel to stop. "I know that you've been training in self defense, but it's an entirely different world out there on the streets. Metropolis might not be as bad as Gotham City, but there are some people that you won't really want to meet in a dark alleyway."

"Yeah, I know," she responded. "So, what can we do?"

"Tracking down the woman that encountered your sister….she might be the ticket," Barbara said. She shook her head. "That's the problem with people that you meet online, they might not be who they say they are."

That got Laurel worried instantly. She bit down hard on her lip. "What if she's some kind of predator that's holding my sister captive? She might have….I don't know, attacked the boat or something, and cause it to sink."

"Hey, save the conspiracy theories for the men who dress like bats," Barbara said. "And trust me, I don't think that she's like that, whoever she is."

Laurel was going to have to take Barbara's word for it. She knew that she was far from off during circumstances like this and sometimes you just had to trust someone's gut.

"So, how are things with you?" Laurel asked.

"Busy as usual, I'll tell you," Barbara said. "If it's not schooling, its my….extra-circular activities….that's some heavy duty encryption there, isn't it?"

"What?" Laurel asked.

"Oh, I'm just seeing if I can get on through with my mysterious friend without raising any alarm bells," Barbara said. "But she's….she's got some hard lined stuff on her computer."

Laurel had a suggestion that just came her suddenly. "Maybe we should get Gwen on this?"

"Yeah, I'm sure the two of us tag teaming this might be able to get through whatever protections that she has," Barbara said. She brightened. "I'll be over there in about a half of an hour. And I'll get in touch with her, seeing if she could swing by.'

Laurel smiled knowingly. The words "swing by" were extremely appropriate regarding Gwen if she had to say so herself.

She lifted up a picture, it was herself and Sara, about six months before she went down with the ship.

She frowned. One way or another, they would be getting answers. The mystery girl who encountered her sister and her role in all of this was also a mystery. Between the three of them, they should be able to get to the bottom of this, at least that was their hope.

* * *

Sara Lance blended into the crowd fairly nicely. Her attire didn't really raise too many eyebrows in this area of Metropolis.

She slipped past the people who were on their way home from work, and she made her way to the entrance of the shop. This shop was used as a front for the Triad and some of their less than unsavory activity.

It was also connected by the man that they were after. Someone in this shop would know something. Sara slipped inside the shop.

She made her way past the dusty counters. The clouds of dust around her were choking and caused her eyes to water. In another time, she would be shaken by this shop. Some of the artifacts on the shelf looked to be ancient.

A middle aged Chinese man appeared at the edge of the counted. He peered at Sara, almost leering at her.

"The shop is closed for the day little girl," he commented. He laughed. "Unless what you seek is in the back, then I can escort you."

"Are you Mister Yin?" Sara asked him.

"Yes," he replied.

"Good," she said. She knocked him back with a punch to the chest that caused him to lift off of the ground and slam into the wall. She jumped over the desk and placed her high heel boot on his chest, inches away from his throat. "Your benefactor, where is he? David Cain, where is he?"

Yin laughed and spoke to her in Chinese. "Silly little girl, you don't know what you're getting yourself into."

Sara responded in equally fluid Chinese. "Yes, I do, and….you're going to die if you don't tell me where he is."

She removed a dagger from the shelf and held it at Yin's cheek, cutting into his cheek. He laughed at her. Sara wondered what it would take to break him.

She stepped back and slid off her coat. She showed him a long jagged scar on her arm. "See this."

Yin scoffed but he nodded. Sara decided to continue. "This was given to me by her….you know who she is. You know that Cain is on the run from her, don't you?"

Yin nodded swiftly. He understood who this woman was talking about.

"She has trained me, she actually likes me, and yet she did this to me," Sara informed him. She had the dagger back into her hand and peered deep into his eyes. "If you're working with Cain, in concealing her daughter, then what do you think that she would do to you?"

"She'll kill me," Yin breathed.

Sara laughed. "Oh, no, she won't kill you. Death is certain, it's sudden, it's quick. Once it's over, there is no more suffering. You're at peace. What she'll do to you is worse than death. You'll be begging her for the pain to end. She won't end it, she will allow you to live further days, in agonizing pain. There's a reason why she's the Dreaded. There's a reason why Cain will not face her."

She looked at him.

"Tell me where Cain is, and I'll put you out of your misery," Sara said. "Don't tell me, and I'll send for her, and she won't show any mercy."

"I don't know."

There was a loud sound of crashing from the room behind them. A rather rough looking individual fell through the curtain, with a sword impaled through his body. A scared looking female ran out.

Nyssa followed him a second later. She looked at Sara.

"I had this handled," Sara informed her.

"I know, but….he's obviously withholding information," Nyssa said. She stepped over towards him. "You know who I am, don't you?"

He nodded fearfully. Nyssa lifted Yin up off of the ground and grabbed his hand. She walked over towards a coal stove and pulled it open. The burning hot coals were visible. "Good, you know who I am, and therefore, you know that lying to me will not end up well to me. Where is Cain?"

"I don't know," he said. Nyssa gripped his wrist hard and she shoved his hand onto the hot coals. It caused him to burn in agony. She pulled him back. "But, but, I know…..I know someone who knows, his right hand man, Yamato, he's….catching a train, he knows that the League is onto him, he knows that….she is after us."

"Oh, he does," Nyssa said. She placed the dagger into the fire and retracted one of the coals. She dangled it over him. "Which train?"

"The ten PM, it's heading out of Starling City, it passes through Metropolis stopping here, and goes all the way to New Jersey, where he'll catch a boat out" Yin said. "Now, please…"

Nyssa lifted him up, and hurled him into the back room. He landed onto the ground. She turned to Sara. "Beloved, I believe we have a train to catch."

* * *

A dark haired girl boarded the train. She was in a bit of fuming mood to begin with. She had words with her mother about some of her habits and that caused her credit cards to get cut off. It was a good thing that she had enough cash money on hand to scrap together enough to buy a ticket and head her way to Metropolis.

Thea Queen thought about the last couple of years. Her brother and his tragic death, with her father getting on the ship, and her mother….well she was acting secretive and obviously not very attentive to the fact that Thea was falling apart.

If she was honest, it was a wonder that Thea didn't follow apart. She was on the train and she sat. She figured that she'd get off in Gotham City, where she would have a friend that she could crash with.

She could see that they were at the Metropolis spot. She barely paid attention to the Japanese business man that entered the train on him.

Despite his scarred hands, with his fingers missing, the two young men dressed in what appeared to be some Roman garb caught her attention. Or maybe it was Egypt, maybe Greek. History was never Thea's top subject, so she was struggling to figure out where these two men were coming from.

They sat at them. Thea had to admit that one of them was fairly attractive, but at the same time kind of creepy. Both of them were staring at her.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Thea asked.

They ignored her and Thea folded her arms and turned away. "Whatever, bunch of weirdos."

She did what pretty much any teenage girl would do when they were bored. Started fiddling around with her cell phone.

More footsteps could be heard and Thea looked up long enough to see four or five of the weird guys in costumes entering the train. Maybe there was some kind convention in town. They all were in a group, chatting with each other.

The train was taking forever to get moving. Thea noticed out of the corner of her eye that the businessman who had gotten on the train before the weirdos in some ancient civilization garb had gotten on was starting to get very anxious.

Thea decided that it was now the proper time to update her social media status.

'_On a train. Weirdoes staring at me. I have no idea what there problem is.'_

Thea frowned and leaned back. She could see another one of them dragged what appeared to be the engineer forward and drop him to the ground.

"May I have your attention please!" one of them bellowed. He rose to his feet and spoke a voice that was bound to be carried for miles. "This train has been taken as the spoils of war for the Sons of Zeus. All of the female passengers have been gifted the right to spend an evening with divinity and all of the males will need to surrender their possessions as tribute, or they will be smited."

The Sons of Zeus moved forward and Thea got to her feet. "What the hell….."

"Such a sharp tongue," one of the Sons said. He grabbed Thea around the mouth. "And that mouth will be used nicely, to pay devotion to your new god."

Thea wasn't down for that and she kicked him where it counted. He bent over and winced in pain.

She tried to rush down the train, but her way was blocked. Something knocked her out and she buckled down. Her knees bent on the ground, the wind taken out of her.

"Let this one serve as an example for…" one of the sons said. He stopped shortly. "We cannot destroy her, the master wants her."

"What?" one of them asked.

"Do you not see it, she is the earthly form of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt," another Son of Zeus commented.

Thea passed out.

"She is unaware that she has been imprisoned, likely because of the mad dragon who works for Hades," one of the sons said. "But we will unlock who she is and….."

There was a whizzing sound that went through the train and the lights went pitch black.

"What kind of foolish devil magic is this?" one of the sons of Zeus said. "Who dares smite the sons of….."

A very hard piece of steel met a very fleshy part of his body. He fell to the ground, bleeding from his wounds instantly.

The sounds of combat echoed through the darkness. There was the loud crashing of sounds when they were taken down.

"The father will smite….."

The son of Zeus's words didn't even properly leave his mouth when he hit the ground hard. The backup power on the train came back on.

Sara and Nyssa stood over the slain forms of the Sons of Zeus, covered in blood, and it wasn't their own blood. Other than the minor burn Sara got, she looked rather nice indeed.

"The Sons of Zeus, they say?" Nyssa said. Sara shrugged and nodded. "Obviously divinity has skipped passed their particular generation."

Sara walked over and started to check on the people. They had been sedated, so they would not be in the way when they took at the Sons of Zeus. She walked around and reached a brunette figure on the floor. She had been attacked before they got her.

She rolled over the brunette and she gave a stifled gasp. "Thea."

"I beg your pardon?" Nyssa asked.

"Thea Queen…."

"She's the sister of that boy that you foolishly went on the boat with, isn't she?" Nyssa asked.

"Don't tell me you're complaining about that particular choice," Sara said. She gave Nyssa a light nudge.

"Not in the slightest," Nyssa answered. She frowned. "But….she could recognize you and then….."

"She won't," Sara answered. She smiled when she looked down at her. "I might have been with the wrong Queen though, but she was a bit too young at the time."

"Well, that's a perfect reasoning, but you're young and you made your own mistake, even if it worked out in the end," Nyssa said. She leaned down and she placed her fingers on the side of Thea's neck. "She'll be fine….she just got waffled hard….she's still breathing."

Their little misadventure with the Sons of Zeus was not the reason why they were here. Sara looked around. She was pretty sure that Yamato was around here somewhere, on the train.

A sound of a door sliding open followed by quick footsteps caused Sara's head to snap around. Nyssa noticed him as well.

"We can't let him escape!" Nyssa yelled.

Sara knew that. Nyssa slipped out the side entrance to cut him off at the pass, while Sara, chased straight behind him. They knew that if they disappointed her, then it would be a real problem. It took a long time to gain her respect and they didn't want to let that down.

Yamato quickened his steps. The League of Assassins was after him and no less than the Daughter of the Demon herself. But how? Cain assured him that Ra's Al Ghul would not come after him, but yet the League was after him.

Yamato needed to get out of here, and quickly. There was a sense of urgency, but he heard something behind him that gave him great pause.

He could see something dart after him in the shadows. He blinked and withdrew his sword from the sheath. "Who….who?"

That was the extent of his English and there was no answer. He swung the sword, but it was blocked, and the person who he engaged pivoted. Their style was far different from the League of Assassins.

Sara could have sworn. He could have ducked into any of these rooms to hide. If he managed to get through a window, they would never find out anything.

There were the sounds of battle off to the side. Sara wondered if Nyssa had found him and had engaged him. She quickened her steps to try and give her beloved the backup she needed.

Much to Sara's surprise, she can into Nyssa. The two of them looked at each other. There were no words exchanged between the two of them.

They moved their way towards the sound of the fighting, and suddenly it stopped. Nyssa raised her hand and opened the door.

She stepped inside a half darkened room. Nyssa groped around on the wall and flicked the light switch on.

It took her a couple of moments to adjust to the light flowing through the room and when she saw it, she saw Yamato on the ground. He was battered ,with a broken sword lying next to him. His feet and his hands were tied together with each other.

Nyssa's eyes followed up Yamato's body and she spotted the Dragon sitting there. She was casually standing over his brutal and broken body. Sara stepped back in complete awe as well.

"He was in an awful hurry, wasn't he?" she asked. "It's almost like he was trying to avoid you."

Nyssa nodded in response. She could see the man who was bound on the ground, unable to shift out of his position.

"I wouldn't worry about this," Alia said. "He isn't going anywhere any time soon. And you'll learn everything that you need to know."

Alia descended and she walked over towards Sara. "So, Sara….I'm guessing that the rumors of your demise have been greatly exaggerated?"

"You know who I am," Sara said.

"Yes, and I know who you are as well….Nyssa Al Ghul," Alia said.

"Yes, you've done your homework….Dragon," Nyssa said.

"No, just capable of using an internet connection and having friends who know things," Alia said. She closed the distance between the two of them. Her emerald eyes shined brightly. "I figured since you took care of the Sons of Zeus for me, the least I could do is snag this guy."

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	15. Cain

**Chapter Fourteen: Cain.**

* * *

The two assassins came face to face with the Dragon. Needless to say, both women were completely and utterly spellbound by this amazing woman that stood before them. In fact, it was so obvious that she blew them away.

"No need to be speechless," Alia said. She flipped her hair. "The two of you have been looking to get my attention, and here I am obviously."

"Yes, obviously," Nyssa said. She shook her head to clear it. "So, I guess that you did our job for us…..are you sure he's….."

"He's still alive, for as long as you want him to be," Alia said. She gently rested her palm on the back of the man's head and lifted his head up. There was a half hazy, half glazed look through his eyes. It indicated that he wasn't going anywhere any time soon, at least if she could help it. "So, are we going to talk about why you've been trying to get my attention? Or….are you going to talk to him and tell him what you want to know?"

Sara spoke up suddenly. "The train's not moving."

"Yes, I think that the Sons of Zeus might have killed the people up front," Alia said.

"Well, then I'm not sorry for returning the favor to them in kind," Nyssa said. She looked over her shoulder. "There are people on the train….."

Nyssa's words were interrupted by a super sonic blur. Wind caused her hair to blow in every single direction possible.

Sara casually walked over to the next room and pushed open the door. She frowned when she looked over and then turned around back to Alia. Alia responded by giving her the most obvious shrug possible.

"What can I say?" Alia asked. She responded with a cheeky little grin. "I've got some connections….all of the innocents are safe. We have this big train all to ourselves to do whatever we want."

"Oh, that's not suggestive at all," Sara murmured underneath her breath. She caught the evil eye from Alia and Alia responded with a smile.

Alia decided to bring up the point. "Oh, and I removed a couple of his teeth. I detected some kind of poison capsule in them."

"Cyanide, of course," Nyssa said. She decided to get straight to the point. "Do you think that there is any way that you can wake him up so we can have a few words with him?"

Alia grinned. "Yes, I think I can wake him up. It won't be pretty, but….."

Nyssa waved her hand in a nonchalant manner. "I'm not looking for pretty, I'm just looking for something that will get him up, so we can get the job done."

Alia waved her hand. Mr. Yamato was jolted out of his sleep. He realized that he was tied up and all of his weapons had been removed.

He spoke in a fluid burst of Japanese. "You won't get anything out of me."

"Oh, we won't will we?" Alia asked. She spoke the language perfectly. "These two ladies have a few questions to ask you and you won't be lying."

Mr. Yamato tried to bite down, only to realize that there wasn't a tooth where it should have been. The capsule was most certainly gone and the second tooth that he stashed a back up was.

"I'll never talk," Mr. Yamato said. He spoke in a firm tone of voice and it was obvious that he didn't think. "He'll kill me."

"I'm sure that you'll really believe that," Nyssa said. She grabbed him roughly by the jaw and held it into her hand. She didn't want to break his jaw, because it was hard enough getting him to talk how it was now. "But, here's the deal. You must know who we're working for. If you displease her, you're going to wish for death."

Yamato's ego faded for a brief moment. He looked extremely agitated by the situation that he was in, although now it appeared that he was coming to terms with the entire mess.

"Just tell us where Cain is," Sara said.

Alia shook her head. It was obvious this man was prideful. She didn't want to tell the two League members how to do their work.

Yet, whatever they were doing, it simply wasn't working. Alia grabbed the end of the rope she wrapped around Nyssa's hand. She cupped the hand of the Daughter of the Demon and placed the rope inside it.

"What is that?" Nyssa asked.

"A means to get the truth," Alia said.

'_I really thought that you were going to let them rough him up a little bit more,' _Fleur said. She sounded almost disappointed when she spoke.

'_As amusing and entertaining that would be, it is ineffective,' _Alia said. She could hear Nyssa speak in a low voice.

"We got the address," Nyssa said. She stomped on the back of his head, and he faded to black.

"Very good, now it's my turn," Alia said. "I've got a few questions to ask you."

Sara looked at her. "Are you going to be using the rope for this?"

Nyssa sighed and she gave her beloved a cross look. Sara frowned. "I'm sure that you wanted to know why we did what we did."

Alia smiled and nodded. "You know, the thought did cross my mind at least once."

"We intended to get your attention and it worked," Nyssa said. She spoke her next few words with some great reluctance. "This particular mission is done without my father's blessing or his approval. The thing was….we owed her both a favor."

Sara was surprised as anyone that this was done without Ra's approval. She thought that Nyssa wouldn't do something that daring. She was extremely proud of what Nyssa did and the bold step that she took. Almost terrified as well, but that's just how things went sometimes.

"You did this without your father's blessing?" Sara asked.

"It's easier to ask for forgiveness, than beg for permission at his feet," Nyssa answered. "And you know how difficult she is to say no too."

"Who are you talking about?" Alia asked. She could see the two of them look at each other, almost like they were performing a silent conference with each other. "Or is this one of those classified things that are on a need to know basis?"

"You coming to that conclusion makes our lives a fair amount more easier," Nyssa replied. She relaxed because of the fact that Alia was not arguing this point. "And we had to know that you were the one, and now we know for sure."

Alia raised her eyebrow. There was a part of her that was extremely curious to what they were talking about.

"Oh, saying that is going to confuse her," Sara said. Nyssa gave a small smile. "There's a small number of assassins who worship a figure like you, with that particular shade of green eyes. She's called the Dreaded Dragon. And she will lead the League of Assassins to a new age of enlightenment."

Alia looked at her. It was obvious that she was skeptical.

"Well, that's how the stories go anyway," Sara said. "But, we really need your help to deal with Cain."

Alia felt herself tense up instantly. "You know, I'm a warrior, not an assassin."

"This is far more than an assassination mission," Nyssa informed her. She could tell that she had the Dragon's attention and proceeded to answer. "It's a rescue mission. Our employer has tasked us from retrieving her most valuable treasure from Cain. And Cain has her well-guarded."

That caused Alia to blink and it was all coming to her clearly now.

"Your help would be appreciated, and we would naturally be in your debt," Nyssa said.

Alia smiled, but suddenly her cellphone went off. She picked it up and she read it.

_Do you know anything more about Sara Lance?'_

Alia's eyes looked over towards the woman in question. Sara frowned. "What's this all about? Who's that from?"

"She calls herself Oracle," Alia responded.

There was one thought that went through Sara's mind stronger than anything else. "She's a friend of my sister….her name is Barbara Gordon."

"That's interesting, but what….." Alia said. She caught what Sara was implying instantly. "You're afraid that she's going to tell your sister."

"Or she's going to mention something to her father, who is going to mention something to my father, who is going to run around on a wild goose chase for me," Sara said. "Please….tell her anything, just don't tell her that I'm standing right here next to you."

"More debt?" Alia asked.

"Yes, anything," Sara said. There was a flash of light that emitted between the three of them.

'_Curious,' _Alia thought. She texted Oracle back, saying that she didn't know anything more than she told her.

"You know, the Detective might be onto this case already," Nyssa warned Sara.

"Okay, the two of you owe me twice over now," Alia informed both of the girls. They both smiled in gratitude. "We can't play this game forever. Especially since…it's know that you're alive now."

"We need to find Cain and more importantly Cassandra," Nyssa said. It was hard to tell what Cain would have done to that girl, but it wasn't going to be anything good.

* * *

Barbara was currently tracing the signal. She could see Laurel pacing out of the corner of her eye, and it was wearing out the carpet and her as well.

"So, is there any luck?" Laurel asked her. She got a nasty glare and she backed up.

"Yes, thanks, I'm working," Barbara murmured. She kept working through the signal. "Somewhere in Metropolis."

"That's a little bit closer than we thought that she was," the oldest Lance sister said. Barbara nodded and she noticed that Barbara's bodyweight shifted a bit anxiously. She placed her hand on Barbara's shoulder. "Is there something that you want to tell me?"

Barbara handed the print off of information to Laurel and started to explain.

"Well, Miss Lance, the same mysterious Blonde has been sighted in London, Paris, Tokyo, several spots in South America, with the run in Metropolis being the latest sighting," Barbara said. "A couple of grainy photographs here….and one said that she stabbed a man."

That caused Laurel to look absolutely scandalized. "Sara would never…"

"We don't know if this is Sara, though," Barbara said. She spoke in a calm tone, but it was hard to keep the skeptical tone out of her voice. "If it isn't her though, she certainly must be her exact double."

Laurel thought about that and she conceded. A lot had changed. She most certainly didn't appear to be the same Sara that got onto that boat and that was a fact that worried her. She brushed her fingers through her hair.

"Why don't you sit down?" Barbara offered.

The young woman sat down and folded her hands into her lap. The past three years had been difficult and the fact that Sara might be alive really did bring back some rather frustrating memories from the past year.

"Oh, and he contacted me, he told me that he's looking into it," Barbara answered. That caused the older girl to bolt to her feet and look at Barbara. "And yes, for the record, I told you that I wasn't going to tell anyone and I kept my promise there. But that doesn't necessarily stop certain people from finding out on their own."

Laurel sighed. Barbara did in fact have a point. Batman was annoyingly resourceful. She wondered if he suspected that Sara survived the Queen's Gambit going down all this time. And she wondered if Oliver might have as well, not that was something that was important for her right now.

Barbara shifted through the information that rested on her lap.

"I think that she's with the League of Assassins," Barbara said.

That didn't improve Laurel's mood. She hitched in a rather deep breath and turned towards Barbara. "The League of Assassins? That doesn't sound good."

"That's because it isn't, but I'm sure the name League of Assassins would imply just as much," Barbara said. There was a knock on the door. "And here's Gwen, just in time."

Laurel got up to get the door and a young girl dressed in a black jacket, a black shirt, and tight blue jeans, along with a black headband turned up.

"So, I'm guessing that I showed up just in time to see the shit hit the fan?" Gwen asked.

"Yes, pretty much," Barbara commented. She slipped off her jacket and dropped it lightly onto the chair, before slipping inside.

Gwen prepared to get brought back up to speed.

* * *

Nyssa, Sara, and Alia crept through the shadows. There was one thing that was for sure and that was that David Cain had some of the best protection in the world.

Alia raised her hand and both of the girls looked at her. They stepped back and allowed her to perform her magic.

She flipped her way into the air and caused a pair of the assassins to look down the hallway. They turned around and she busted their weapons before taking them down to the ground.

Another group of hired henchmen rushed down the hallway. Alia withdrew a sword and swung it as fast as she could.

The sounds of the sword snapping the other weapons could be heard. The assassins dropped down to the ground one at a time. Sara and Nyssa watched. They were going to step in, but they realized that there was no need.

Alia slammed a fist down onto the back of her head, and brought one of the assassins down. One of them flung a dagger at her back. She caught the dagger and spun around. The dagger was launched back at him. It disabled him.

"I think that the coast is clear," Alia informed them. Both Nyssa and Sara looked on with awe and nodded in response.

"Most certainly," Nyssa agreed. The trio walked down the hallway. "I think that Cain should be in the center of the base."

"And he's likely to have surrounded himself by bodyguards," Alia agreed. She scanned the side of the wall.

Sara stepped forward. Sure, she could step back and allow Alia to dish out all of the damage, but why would she let her have all of the fun? She twisted the dial on the object that dangled from her hand.

"I suggest you cloak your ears," Nyssa informed Alia. Alia smiled and she waved her hand, causing a pair of ear muffs to appear on her head. Nyssa plugged her ears.

The door opened and a group of bodyguards turned towards them. Sara activated a button on it and a sonic blast bombarded them.

It dropped them to their knees and allowed Nyssa and Alia to storm into the room. They brutally assaulted these men.

The goons fell left and right. Nyssa might have taken more goons out in her way through the room, but Alia did so with more style. Plus she did so while wearing a pair of pink earmuffs, which caused a humiliation factor.

Sara grabbed a hooded figure and slammed him to the ground. Nyssa and Alia surrounded him and the hood fell down.

"Cain," Nyssa said. Disgust dripped from her voice and it was obvious that this name was not a recommendation as far as she was concerned.

Cain looked up and looked like he had seen a ghost. He looked as if he was terrified. He tried to reach and grab a blade from his inside pocket.

Alia blasted the blade out of his hand and Nyssa had one of her own trained at his throat. He was slumped against the wall, without anywhere to go.

"You can't do this to me," Cain breathed. The white hot knife was at the edge of his throat. "Ra's Al Ghul, we had an accord…..and he wouldn't…..he wouldn't dare break it."

"My father might not break a deal, but he wasn't the one that sent us here," Nyssa said. The look of fear flashing through Cain's eyes made it obvious that he knew exactly who they were talking about. "And I find it hard to believe that my father would make a deal with scum like yourself."

Cain feigned passing out, and he managed to disarm Nyssa. He knocked her back. He was able to stab her.

Sara responded by launching Cain hard into the wall. He hit the wall and the blood spilled out of his mouth. He struggled to get to his feet. Sara slammed her foot into his arm, snapping it instantly. She thought about ripping him apart piece by piece.

She instead decided to reach over and help Nyssa to her feet. Nyssa got to her feet with shaky legs, but stood, breathing, but otherwise completely fine.

Nyssa picked up the sword in her hand and held it over her head. Alia held up her hand. "You can't believe that this scum is worthy of pity."

"I don't, but what if your father did make a deal with him?" Alia asked.

Nyssa pondered that for a moment and responded. "If my father made a deal with him, then that is my cross that I'll bare on my own. And again, it's better to ask for forgiveness than to beg for permission."

She stabbed him through his chest with the sword and pulled it out and decapitated him. His head hung from a tendon, dangling from his shoulders.

"Staining a perfectly good blade with blood," Nyssa said. She kicked Cain like the dog that he was, and she lifted his decapitated head. "No doubt, she'd want his head as proof that we did this."

Alia turned away from the grisly sight of Cain's slain body. She could not forget about the reason that she was here.

She stood up firmly and she made her way to a door. It was locked. That was nothing that could stop Alia. She busted the locks and swung the door open, revealing a set of steps.

When she reached the bottom of the steps, Alia groped around and flipped the switch. The switch turned on the lights, illuminating the basement. She leaned forward and caught a sight that disturbed her.

There was a young Asian girl who looked to be about fourteen years of age. She was stripped to her underwear and there were scars that went down her arms and her legs. Alia was disgusted and she walked over towards the girl.

Her eyes had a vapid look in it and when Alia approached her, she flinched back, while giving a slight growl.

She was a disturbing combination between a scared rabbit and a feral, wounded woof. Nyssa and Sara joined her down the steps.

Alia spoke in a calm tone. "You granted Cain too quick and too painless of a death."

Nyssa caught one side of the victimized girl and she would have to agree. There was crates on the ground and Nyssa could only guess what the contents were. A knife rested on the table and it had the very obvious dried up blood.

"Cassandra?" Alia asked. The girl's head turned and faced Alia. Alia reached forward and slowly undid her bonds.

The Asian teenager flinched at the touches. The moment Alia undid her, Cassandra pounced, just like she had been trained to do so.

Cassandra tried to take out Alia. She dodged each attack. In fact, she didn't make any effort to fight back.

The girl looked confused. She looked over her, almost as if she was reading her body language. Cassandra dropped down on her knees.

Alia waved her hand and a calming aura filtered over her. It was nothing too heavy, but it did the job.

She lifted up and picked up Cassandra, hoisting her up. She teleported out of there and returned a few seconds later.

Sara turned towards Nyssa. "So, do you believe that she's the real deal?"

* * *

Sara, Alia, and Nyssa waited patiently. Rowena had been brought in to check over Cassandra. She was a delicate case.

Alia decided to bring up a point. "She's going to need to be brought to a place where she could relax."

Nyssa gave a soft smile in response. "You're going to have to take up that point with her mother, and I wish you the best of luck with that one."

Alia wondered exactly how dangerous Cassandra's mother was. Given that everyone seemed to shit themselves in terror because of her, she could be fairly dangerous indeed.

Rowena turned up. "Her physical injuries have been treated. Her emotional and mental scars on the other hand….."

"I know, that's going to be a long road," Sara said. She leaned back and smiled. "Thanks for letting us stay here for the evening."

"Well, I know that you needed some place to sleep," Alia said. "You don't mind sharing quarters, don't you?"

"No, this isn't a new thing," Nyssa replied. Her lips curled into a smile. "So where do you think should be done with Cassandra?"

"Well, our first thought is Themscrycira," Alia said. "But given the lifestyle there, I don't think that would be the best for her."

"Is it bad to say that I wished I would have crashed there?" Sara asked.

"Well, you and I would have never met, and…that would have just been unacceptable," Nyssa responded. She finished wiping the blood off of the sword. She had Cain's remains currently stored in a box, which Alia preserved with a well-placed charm.

Nyssa did wonder whether or not her father would have approved of what she did. Granted, her father didn't approve of a lot she did. He was currently in an between state, where he recovered from a battle.

"So, I think it's best for us to retire to our quarters," Nyssa said.

Sara smiled and she leaned forward, to whisper in Alia's ear. "Why don't you join us?"

That seemed like a good idea and Nyssa raised her eyebrow.

"The two of you owe me a debt," Alia reminded her. "I think that it's time to settle."

There could be far worse ways to settle a debt. The trio of girls entered the room and things were about to get a bit heated really quickly.

Nyssa caught her beloved whispering something in Alia's ear.

Sara and Alia grinned and they both advanced on the Daughter of the Demon. It was obvious that Nyssa was going to get it now. Alia wrapped her arms around her and gave her an intense kiss.

This kiss caused Nyssa's panties to dampen. Alia moved away from her and left her breathless.

That opened up the door for Sara to jump in for the kill.

* * *

**To Be Continued.  
**


	16. Reunion

**Chapter Fifteen: Reunion.**

* * *

Alia kicked back and relaxed after the nice sessions he had with Nyssa and Sara. She put both girls through the paces and it was really liberating for her. The warrior princess pondered her next maneuver. She was going to be joined by Kara and Diana in a couple of moments.

Almost on cue, Diana turned up and Kara was close behind. Alia invited the two of them to sit down and they did so. The three girls got themselves comfortable, with Diana pressing herself against Alia's right side and Alia taking a firm position on the left side of her body. It looked like the two girls were in for the long haul.

"So, thank you for getting everyone out, alright," Alia said to Kara.

Kara responded with a small smile, "It really wasn't a problem. I got them out of there, and I'm pretty sure that none of them even knew that I was there."

"That's good," Alia confirmed. Stealth was extremely important with a situation like this and she wanted to make sure that they got in and they got out without a problem.

There were a lot of witnesses that might have wondered some strange things. Alia wondered about it herself. Running into the Sons of Zeus again, even though she didn't have to directly deal with them worried her.

"So?" Diana asked her. Alia turned towards Diana. "What's the plan from here?"

Alia pondered that, but not for that long. It turned out that she had a good idea where they were going to go next.

"I think that we should head back to Europe now things have calmed down here a little bit," Alia informed them. She pondered again. "And then from there, we can move into the United States on a more permanent basis. I'm sure that the Delacours were planning to relocate to the United States anyway."

'_We are,' _Fleur confirmed. _'Many better business opportunities.'_

Alia knew the real reason, but she was glad that they had found a more practical reason never the less.

Diana leaned forward and whispered to her sister, "So, how is Cassandra?"

There was a moment where Alia's expression grew completely dark. Kara recognized that look and it wasn't anything good. Her hand wrapped around Alia's and squeezed it.

"We got her out just in time," Alia said.

If she was perfectly honest with herself, the bastard that did this to her didn't suffer enough. There was a small voice that reminded Alia that it wasn't up to her what happened to the person who did this to Cassandra, but she took some care and a fair amount of time silencing it.

"Did you think about bringing her to Themscrycira?" Diana asked.

"I thought it was a good idea at first," Alia admitted. Diana frowned and she sensed an addition coming along. "But, while it seems like a good idea at first, it's a less good idea the more that I think about it."

Diana realized where Alia was coming from with that one. She nodded.

The door opened and Nyssa pushed it open, poking her head through. There was a serious look on her face.

"She's here, isn't she?" Alia asked.

"Yes, she is," Nyssa said.

It was obvious that Nyssa was expected to take Alia to Cassandra's mother and she decided not to complicate matters that were already fairly complicated by getting up to her feet and joining Nyssa.

The two girls only had a short walk before Alia came face to face with the one and only Lady Shiva and she looked rather imposing to say the least. Her dark hair came down her face, forming a devious looking curtain. She had surprisingly soft features, gorgeous eyes, and soft lips, but those were deceptive and if anything made her dangerous. She wore elegant red robes that clung to her body.

"You must be Lady Shiva," Alia said. She stared the woman right in the eyes.

"Princess Alia," Shiva said. She stood forward and extended her hand. Alia grasped it and the two women got a feel for each other. "I see no fear in your eyes. That's surprising. Most flinch in fear. You must be extremely brave, or there must be other reasons for your lack of fear."

Alia did have nerves of steel, and she stared down the woman. It was obvious a test of wills to be honest.

"I have nothing to fear, because I've done nothing to wrong you," Alia reminded her.

Shiva's lips curled into a smile. It was almost frightening. Her gaze lingered on Alia's face, before she spoke , "That is a better answer than most have given me at this point."

Alia stepped back and there was a long pause, before Shiva spoke one more time.

"You returned my daughter," Shiva said. Alia nodded. "You rescued her, and for that I thank you. And Sara and Nyssa reported what they found. The only regret is that Cain did not die by my sword personally."

"He deserved a far less swifter death than he experienced," Alia responded grimly.

"Regardless, he's dead, and we can move forward, and Cassandra can heal," Shiva responded. She leaned back against the barrier and gathered her thoughts. She added, "And many women have healed who have been brought into the League. Sara here has been one of them, and you might have been found by the League, if the Amazons had not beaten us to the punch."

That did make Alia think about what might have been. She tried not to get hung up on things like that, rather she wanted to think about what could be.

Cassandra peered out from behind the corner. It was obvious that the girl was a bundle of nerves and her hands shook when she walked around the corner.

"Cassandra, I'm your mother," Shiva said.

Cassandra looked at her, with some acknowledgement. It was obvious that she believed her and also that she was fairly guarded.

Alia was about ready to leave, but Cassandra grabbed her hand, and wouldn't let go.

"She wants you to stay," Shiva said. It wasn't ideal, but she accepted it.

"Are you agreeable to this?" Alia asked her.

Shiva looked a bit thoughtful and she nodded.

"I did want her to become the perfect assassin, and she could be," Shiva said. "The circumstances Cain tried to train her were so barbaric that I wouldn't wish them on my cruelest enemy."

Sara was glad that she kept her poker face up, but it surprised her that Lady Shiva had a heart afterall.

* * *

Alia pretty much had Cassandra put under her custody with Lady Shiva. Sara was completely in aw with her and Alia shook her head. The assassin grew completely serious and she leaned forward.

"I don't know how you did it," Sara said.

"I feel that we've come to an understanding and she wants what's best for her daughter, and the type of life she lives….might not allow for any kind of one on one time with family," Alia said.

Sara nodded. The problem was that when you became an assassin, your past and your interactions with family took a backseat. She mentally distanced herself from her past, ever since she was found and healed by the League, by Nyssa. A part of her said that it was cold and unfair, making people think that she was dead, but at the same time, the Sara Lance her friends and family remembered had been dead for a long time. She had been reborn into something else and something that might terrify them.

So, she justified what she did because she didn't want to taint those memories with them.

Alia's cell phone lit up, and there was another message, "It's from Oracle…again….she wants to meet with me in person."

Sara threw her hands up into the air and sighed.

"I forgot how persistent Babs could be," Sara said. She leaned closer towards Alia and looked her in the eye. "You won't tell her anything about me, would you? I'd really appreciate that you wouldn't tell her."

Alia paused for a moment and she thought it over in her mind. She leaned towards Sara and she nodded. "Don't worry, I won't."

Sara threw her arms around Alia's neck and kissed her intensely. Her tongue pushed deep into her mouth and that nearly caused the cell phone to drop from her hand. Alia ran her hands down the back of Sara's head and twirled her fingers through her hair, intertwining it.

The two broke apart before things could get extremely heated. Alia stepped back and her nipples were a bit hard from Sara's intense efforts. Sara rested her hand on shoulder and her head on her chest.

Alia picked up the cell phone. She kept the cell phone resting gently in her palm and she frowned when she looked it over.

"She said that she wants to meet with me still," Alia said. "Don't worry, I won't betray you."

"I know, I trust you," Sara replied. She absent mindedly played with Alia's hair. "My sister could be a problem."

Kara turned up and joined the two of them. Alia turned briefly and explained to Kara what Barbara said and how she wanted to meet with them.

"So, do you think that we should meet with her?" Kara asked.

It wasn't Alia who answered, it was Sara.

"If I know, Barbara, it's better if you meet with her and satisfy her curiosity a little bit," Sara answered. "If you ignore her….well she's going to dig deeper. And that's not counting what my sister is going to do."

"So, your sister….." Alia said.

Sara shook her head and spoke extremely honestly, "We didn't really part under the best terms to begin with. And I regret a lot of what I did, and I'm sure she does as well. I really wanted to beat her at something, but that was the wrong thing."

The younger blonde assassin leaned back when she took a long breath.

"I'm not sure if I could ever look her in the eye again," Sara said. She felt Alia's hand squeeze hers and that relaxed her just a little bit. She leaned towards her. "Just so much has changed, and even with my training, I'm not ready to look Laurel in the eye and tell her how I really feel about her."

"You don't have to do anything that you don't want to do, until you're ready," Alia said. She frowned.

"What?" Sara asked.

Alia paused and she chose her words extremely carefully. She placed her hands on the side of Sara's face and looked into her eyes. "What motivates someone like you to join something like the League of Assassins."

"Well," Sara said. She paused a long time to consider that. "I was pretty broken when it happened. My old life was something that I don't think that I could go back to even though I wanted to, and I really don't think that I want to at this point. And really, I didn't choose this life, as much as it choose me."

"Fair enough," Alia agreed with her.

"My sister is destined to be a crusader standing in the light, while I'm destined to be one standing in the darkness," Sara continued. She decided to bring up the next point that she thought of. "So, it's likely that Babs will bring her along to try and sway her."

Alia figured that much and she mentally thought about what she wanted to do. She looked into Sara's eyes.

"Don't worry, I can handle it," Alia said. She picked up the cell phone and she needed to make arrangements. It was time to settle this, one way or another.

* * *

Laurel leaned against the wall and she was checking her watch constantly and looking around. she was with Barbara and they were waiting for her contact. She was extremely nervous, for a number of reasons.

"Would you stop that?" Barbara asked. She was waiting around for a little bit and Laurel looking like a caged canary was agitating her a little bit. And by a little bit, she meant that it was agitating her a lot.

Laurel turned towards her and she had an apologetic tone when she responded, "Sorry, it's just that….well, you know that Sara and I didn't part on the best terms."

Barbara waved her hand and nodded. She knew that for a fact. She knew the circumstances and she didn't really want to talk about it. That kind of family drama was something that she didn't want to be involved with, for obvious reasons.

"Will she bring Sara with her?" Laurel asked. "Did she say?"

"She just said that she'd be here," Barbara said. That didn't really pacify the matter to be honest. "I don't know what's going to happen, but whatever happens, it happens. We just got to deal with it whenever and however we can."

It was obvious that Laurel was more calm down.

Barbara looked up and she could see a dark haired girl with green eyes, dressed in a green jacket, black shirt, and tight black pants. She was joined by a blonde wearing a red jacket, a short blue top, and jean shorts, along with thigh high red boots. Both of them looked extremely stunning and they would blow away.

"Omega," the girl muttered.

"Delta," Barbara responded.

"So, you must be Oracle," the girl told her.

Barbara gave her a small shadow of a smile and she nodded, "What did, you expect some fat guy behind the computer screen?"

"You can never be too sure over the Internet," the girl said. She looked like she decided that some kind of introduction is in order. "My name is Alia Evans and this is Kara Kent."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Kara said in a bubbly voice. She reached forward and shook hands with Barbara and Laurel.

Laurel took the hand of both girls and she paused. She was pretty sure that the name Evans sounded pretty familiar, although she didn't know where. And it was pretty certain.

"So, have you been in contact with my sister?" Laurel asked.

Alia frowned, "Sara's fine, if that's what you want to know. And she's doing more than fine, to be honest. I don't know where she is, but we ran into each other and she's doing fine."

Barbara nodded and there was a question that was on the tip of her tongue. Alia snatched it out of her mouth before she could say anything.

"And yes, I did kiss her, or rather she kissed me," Alia said. She didn't say that it escalated from there. The suggestive smile that Kara gave them was really all that they needed to know. "I know that's the pressing details that you really need to know."

Laurel smiled and nodded, "So Ollie turns another one, eventually. I'm not surprised, really I'm not."

Barbara grinned knowingly. She wasn't about to complain about that fact, for sure. And she decided not to speak ill of the dead. Even though the dead in this case, really wasn't dead. At least that's what Barbara thought at this point in time.

Laurel could not help, but blurt out the next question ,"Is my sister a part of the League of Assassins?"

Alia prepared for that question.

"They did find her, but that doesn't necessarily make her a bad person," Alia said. She stepped forward and gave Laurel a calming smile. "Not all of the people who assassins go after are find upstanding citizens. In fact, very few people assassins go after are find upstanding citizens."

"Did she tell you that?" Laurel asked.

Alia shook her head, "I just do my homework and studied the culture."

"Why hasn't she tried to contact me, if she was alive and could do so?" Laurel asked. She sounded hurt and a little bit of betrayal.

"Wellll," Alia said and she paused, before she collected her bearings and answered, "She thinks that since you parted in not the best ways, it would be extremely awkward for the two of you to get together."

There was a pause that was broken by Barbara cracking up in laughter. Laurel looked towards her girlfriend and Barbara started to laugh even harder in response. She snapped her head up and grew even more amused.

"See, that's the one thing that the two of you have in common," Barbara said. She parted her fingers and Laurel sighed in response. "That's progress….loads of progress, see?"

"I guess," she conceded. She hated when Barbara had a point.

Alia hated to be in the middle of whatever was happening. She leaned towards the older Lance sister.

"I'll pass on the message if I ever run into her, and tell her that you want to talk to her and clear the air, if you want me to," Alia informed her.

"Would you?" Laurel asked. Alia answered with a nod and a smile. "Thanks."

The four girls parted way. Laurel and Barbara were going to hit the gym and it was obvious that Alia and Kara parted ways after they said their goodbyes.

"So is Gwen joining us?" Laurel asked.

Barbara nodded, "Yes, she should be joining us, she just needs to follow some lead."

"Hopefully she didn't get into too much trouble," Laurel said. Barbara gave her one of those looks and she responded with a shrug. "I know, wishful thinking, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is," Barbara confirmed. The two of them walked off into the gym area.

* * *

Six months ago, Gwen Stacy's life changed. She wouldn't say that it was for the better, but she thought that it would be for the better. The woman was dressed in a combination of a black and white suit, with a blue spider insignia on it. And she made her way downtown into one of the bad parts of Gotham City.

She could hardly believe that just six months ago, she was a normal college student. Now she got bit by a spider and her life changed. The irony was delicious, given how much she loathed spiders in general.

That being said, Gwen crawled on the ceiling, under the guise of Spider-Girl. She ran into this group of thieves who had dressed in Greek Armor. She took two of them down, but the other one ran to this abandoned warehouse.

The truth was that she let him leave, for the simple reason that she could track them here.

Gwen crawled through an open window, carefully making her way inside of the main warehouse area.

The storage area seemed to be rather mundane. It was just your normal run of the mill shipping area. It was nothing to really write home about, to be honest. Gwen crept down the hallway and pushed back a crate, revealing a secret entrance.

She just hit the jackpot. Gwen climbed on the ceiling and she entered the chambers, seeing that there was a room with a Greek design. There were more of those thugs, dozens of them by the looks of things.

She first thought that there was some kind of cult and it didn't appear to be fall off on that note. All of them stepped over towards a large statue of the Greek God Zeus.

All of the men looked to be in their late teens or very early twenties. The type of people who really didn't know where they wanted to go with their life, and they all got down onto their knees.

'_That statue, I wonder if it's compensating for something,' _Gwen thought.

That was a thought that passed as amusement through her mind. Never the less, she heard a booming voice that appeared to come through the Spirit of Zeus.

"The hardships that life bring you have all brought you to this point," the booming voice of Zeus commented. "And now you are here before him."

Gwen just loved a good monologue. The problem was that her entrance was now blocked and she couldn't exit that way. And she wasn't about to be suicide enough to fight her way through that entire group of people.

"Soon I will rise up to lead you," Zeus continued. "I will rise up and my sons will rise up to join me. Only a select few would be lead into the promise land. There will be a tournament that would declare the cream of the crop and only a few would survive. Some have already failed me, with their attempts to abduct Thea Queen, who has the spirit of the Huntress, Artemis, lingering inside her."

The other sons were glad they were not amongst the group that failed.

"Soon, I will have a group of goddesses beside me, and they will serve the almighty Zeus!" he bellowed.

"Gwen?" Oracle's whispered urgently.

"I might have stumbled into a sticky situation," Gwen said. "Yeah, I'll be a little late joining you two at the gym."

The Sons of Zeus parted from their god and Spider-Girl waited. She would have a closer look around when they were all gone.

She was a bit tentative to do so, and she wondered what the angle of this Zeus was. Surely this wasn't the Zeus.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	17. Last Minute Affairs

**Chapter Sixteen: Last Minutes Affairs. **

* * *

That trip to the United States went far longer than Alia intended, but she didn't regret what happened all never the less. There were a couple of things that she needed to take care of and she and Diana returned to France. Kara still had some business in the United States to take care of, so she was going to stick around for a little bit. That was perfectly fine for them to be honest.

"You're home!"

Fleur greeted them. She positively glowed when she saw Alia. Donna was waiting next to Fleur and she smiled.

"Kind of disappointed that I missed the excitement," Donna said.

She watched in amusement when Fleur threw her arms around Alia and pulled her into a blistering kiss. Their lips pressed together and Alia backed Fleur against the wall. The Veela nibbled on her lower lip eagerly, anticipating a chance to enter her both. Their tongues kept battling together for pure domination.

Alia stepped back from her and left Fleur breathless.

"So, how were things here?" Alia asked.

Donna was only too happy to chime in. Bemusement danced through her eyes. "Oh, our sisters were trying to behave themselves. I don't think that they did a very good job at that."

Diana gave Donna a smile and looked her straight in the eye. "Well, they didn't do any less of a good job than we did when we were that age."

Donna really hated when Diana was right. She was right often. That's why Donna looked forward to the moment where Diana was wrong about something, so she could rub it into her face. The middle child of the Amazon Royal family pouted.

"Gabi is upset that her maturity would be for a long time yet," Fleur said. She thought that turn about was fair play after all of the teasing that her sister gave her regarding the fact that she might have to wait for her maturity.

Alia raised her eyebrow and leaned towards Fleur, "Well, I'm sure that you wouldn't give her a hard time about that."

A slight mischievous grin spread across Fleur's face. Any other person would shiver because of that smile, but Alia decided to look her straight in the eye. Good things did come to those who waited. She wrapped her arm around Fleur's waist and pulled her in closer towards her. She leaned towards her to whisper in her ear.

"And how about you?" Alia asked her. "Have you been behaving yourself?"

Alia withdrew from her and raised her eyebrow. Fleur tried to argue that she was behaving herself about as well as could be expected, but no words came out.

The quartet made their way up to the mansion. There would be plenty of time to discuss what happened now.

"Alia!" a pair of voices yelled. Two red haired girls went out and attached themselves to Alia's legs.

Alia smiled and she scooped her younger sister's into her arms. Amanda and Emily were glad to be lifted off the ground.

"So, did you buy us anything?" Amanda asked.

Emily looked at her worse half, shaking her head, "Mandy, you realize that's rude."

Actually, come to think about it, she was pretty sure that her twin realized that it was rude. Actually realizing something was rude and caring that something was rude, that was two different things entirely.

Alia chuckled and set her twins down on the ground. Both of them backed off.

"I did get you something, but it will have to wait for a couple of minutes," Alia said.

The twins, having all of the patience that most five year olds did, crossed their arms and pouted. Alia laughed in amusement and shook her head.

"They are related to you," Donna muttered. That caused Alia to look at her and give her a long look that made it obvious she was not that amused by what Donna was saying. Donna shrugged in response. "To be fair, we weren't much better….well I wasn't much better."

Alia took out a pair of boxes. Amanda took it and ravenously pulled off the wrapping. Emily did so as well, although she was a bit more subdued about it then her twin was.

There was an elegant looking bracelet that was made. Amanda looked at it.

"Oooh, this is so cool!" she cheered, looking at the bracelet. She smiled when she flipped it over in her hand.

"Yeah, it is," Emily said.

"It allows you to properly channel your powers when you're old enough to do so, and plus it matches your eyes," Alia said.

'_Not to mention the built in tracking charm you have on it, in case those two get into trouble,' _Diana added.

Alia smiled, mostly because of the antics of her younger twin sisters, but also because of what Diana said, _'To be fair, you can never be too careful.'_

Diana wasn't going to argue about that. If only she had such a thing crafted for Donna and Alia when they were younger, but that was beside the point.

Rose turned up and it was obvious that she wanted Alia's attention. While the twins were busy oohing and awing over the nifty bracelets that Alia got her, Rose and Alia made their way into the private study.

The door swung open and the two of them settled into the study. Rose, getting straight to the point, spoke.

"So, did you settle whatever issue you had?" Rose asked.

"It turns out it was not any slight against the Society at all," Alia said.

Alia took a couple of moments to explain to Rose what happened during her trip to the United States. How she came into contact with the League of Assassins, the entire nine yards to be honest, and how she recovered Cassandra.

Rose nodded in response.

"So, I guess she's your responsibility now, isn't she?" Rose asked.

Alia responded in affirmation, "Rowena has been working with her, in an attempt to heal up some of the damage. Physical damage is easy, but emotional damage…"

"Going to take a long time," Rose said.

She shuddered to think what things would have been like if Alia had been forced to live Petunia and her husband, the mental damage she would have experienced. Thankfully, she would have never know, for her niece had grown up well-adjusted and extremely strong.

"The twins liked the gift you gave them," Rose commented.

"Yes, and I need to key you in, to make sure you can track them down if they get out of hand or run off," Alia said.

Rose was going to ask what the chances of that would be. She remembered how she and Lily were at that age and she gave a long sigh. Of course there was going to be a chance that bracelet would be needed to track the twins now.

Alia returned to the room and Amanda walked up towards him.

"So, Donna was talking to us about Themscrycira while you gone," Amanda said. Her attempts to act casual and calm was almost amusing.

Alia's gaze flashed towards her sister's and Donna shrugged.

"So, do you think that we can get some training?" Emily asked.

Alia figured that this was coming, she just didn't think that it would come that soon. She wasn't sure if her sisters would be up for the training. While she started close to the age they were at right now, there was special circumstances that showed why she had to train at the age that she had to train at.

'_For the record, I didn't tell them how old you were when you started training,' _Donna remarked.

The twins looked at Alia, with pleading eyes. Unfortunately for them, Alia was immune to the puppy dog stare.

"You know, when you turn seven, we'll start some basic training," Alia said. "But, you have to be good until then."

Amanda pouted in response, "But that's almost two years."

"We're going to have to do this, Mandy, you realize that?" Emily asked.

She personally thought that it would be a better deal. She thought that it wouldn't be at least until they were ten when they got the training and that would be forever. Five years was like half of their life.

"So, where's Kara?" Amanda asked.

"Kara is visiting her cousin in Kansas," Alia informed them.

Now the matter with Cassandra and the League was resolved, Kara could go to one of the intended purposes of the trip, to visit with her cousin in Smallville. The Evans family had some properties in Kansas and Alia half thought that would be a good place for Cassandra to recover from the ordeal that she experienced.

"Hey, Betsy," Alia said. "Just thought that I'd call you and say that I'm back, and we have a couple of things to talk about, if you don't mind."

"How about we meet at the club?" Betsy asked. "Hopefully the Sons of Zeus don't attack this time."

Alia knew that she was joking, but to be honest, if she ever saw one person who claimed he was related to Zeus again, it would be all too soon. A daughter, she could work with that, but all of his sons, or supposed sons, had a lot of Daddy issues. And they had a chip on their shoulder that was worthy of a god.

* * *

A red haired woman with green eyes, in her early forties, sat down. She still looked in good shape for her age, and she could pass for her late twenties or her early thirties. Martha Kent waited for her daughter and her husband to come.

Her husband, Jonathan Kent, was a sandy haired man with the slightest hints of grey in his hair. He had spent the better part of the day supervising the farm hands, after going down with a heart attack just earlier this year. His doctor told him no physical labor.

A young female entered with dark hair and bright blue eyes. She dressed herself in a flannel shirt and a pair of jeans, along with some boots. Her soft features made her an extremely pretty girl, even though she had the ragged and rough demeanor of a farm girl.

"Rose called me," Martha said.

Jonathan was intrigued. Rose Evans was one of Martha's cousins and one of the few people who knew about their daughter's special circumstances. She helped arranged the adoption. While Jonathan was reluctant to go along with that, he accepted that it was best that someone help them along who knew all about discretion.

Not even one government agent came by to inquire about Claire. That made him think that it was working.

"Claire, honey, we need to talk to you," Martha said.

The girl sat down, curious about what this was all about. Martha smiled and patted her daughter on the hand in a reassuring manner.

"Mom, what's this all about?" she asked.

Martha thought about how to best describe what was going on.

"Have you noticed that there are some changes going on with you, dear?" Martha asked.

Claire wrinkled her nose and shook her head, "Mom, no offense, but we already went through that class at school."

"It's something other than that Claire," Martha said.

Claire had to admit that she had some times where she had a burst of adrenaline and she didn't know her own strength. Her parents warned her to be careful, but she had thought, maybe, the meteors had tainted her when she was younger.

There was a knock on the door before Martha could properly explain.

Claire, being the good daughter that she was, marched over to get the door, and she stepped back, with a surprised look crossing her face. There was a strikingly tall and beautiful girl, with blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She was dressed in a red jacket, a white tank top, and blue jean shorts.

"Hi," Claire muttered. She was taken off guard.

"My name is Kara, and I'm your cousin," Kara said.

Claire was surprised and she shook her head, "How….why didn't you….."

"I had been asleep for a very long time," Kara told her regretfully.

"Do, you mean that you were in a coma?" Claire asked her.

Kara figured that based on the knowledge from Earth, her being in a coma actually was a good thing. Martha smiled when she saw Kara. Kara actually stopped by the other day while Claire was at school, so this was out of the blue.

"You did tell Claire about how unique she is?" Kara asked.

"We have just gotten around to doing that," Jonathan said. "Why don't you sit down, have something to eat, or drink?"

Kara wasn't about to ignore such wonderful hospitality from such nice and charming people. She sat down on the couch and helped herself to a cookie.

Claire had a lot of questions, but she thought that it would be rude if she would speak out of turn. If there was one thing her parents taught her bought, it was how to be polite and how to respect people.

Kara found herself slightly amused. It looked like Claire was bursting to say something and it was a struggle for her to keep herself at bay.

"Well, if you want to say something?" Kara offered. "I won't bite."

"You must have known my parents," Claire said. "My birth parents….what were….why did they give me up?"

She turned towards Martha and Jonathan and nibbled on her lip, looking nervous.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that I was found, but I always wondered," Claire said.

Jonathan waved his daughter's apology off, and gave her a reassuring smile, "I wouldn't worry about you wondering. If Martha and I were in the position that we were in, we would want to know everything that we could."

There were some things that they couldn't tell Claire, but now, she would have to know. Kara explained to both of them that as her powers grew, it would get harder to hide them, despite their best efforts. Jonathan didn't like it, but he had to accept it.

"To answer your question, I knew your parents," Kara said. "My mother and your mother were best friends and….I didn't see eye to eye with your father, but he was a brilliant mind, if a bit scatter minded."

Claire didn't know how she imagined her birth parents. There were a couple of ideas that flashed through her mind.

Kara could see her cousin's interest and decided to help her along, "Your mother was a doctor and your father was a brilliant scientist."

Claire hoped that she would really live up to them. They sounded like such amazing people.

"So, did they die in the meteor shower?" Claire asked. "And is that why…you were in a coma for so long?"

"Yes, I thought that you might know this," Kara said. "Your parents found you, on a field, because you were sent here."

"Sent here?" Claire asked. She didn't know what to make of this, but she was entirely curious and also a bit apprehensive as well. She decided to push forward and throw all caution to the wind, "Why was I sent here?"

Now it was the moment of truth. This was the news that Kara kind of dreaded telling her cousin, but she had to know.

Claire did wonder. Lana always speculated that Claire's birth parents died in the meteor shower, but judging by Kara's response, that was the mistake. They were tied into this somehow and Claire didn't really know how.

"At one time, there was an amazing planet know as Krypton. It was a mecca of science throughout the universe. Some of the greatest minds of the universe came off of the planet. But eventually, like many great planets, things stagnated, and many bad things happened to the planet at once. The planet blew up."

Relieving this was seldom a good thing, but Kara was glad that she had to talk about it.

"A scientist and his wife put their daughter on a rocket ship, hoping that she would have a chance on a new world," Kara continued. "In the middle of the chunks of the destroyed planet, the ship crash landed. The last daughter of this dying planet was found by a kindly young couple, who raised her as her own daughter."

"Me?" Claire asked. "I'm….not from around Earth?"

"No, you're one of the last survivors of Krypton," Kara said. "I intended my ship to follow yours, to keep an eye on you, but something happened and it misdirected. And as a result, I ended up some place a bit more tropical."

Claire had loads more questions and Kara was only happy to give her more answers, at least the best that she could.

* * *

Betsy listened intently regarding the tale that Alia told her about her trip to the United States. The purple haired aristocrat only had one thing to say in response. The club was shut down after the Sons of Zeus wrecked it and there was no clue when it would be open. The two girls, adaptable as they were, made their way to a nice hotel.

It actually was a bit more high class then the club, and they got a few more strange looks because of the fact that they were two women on a date.

"So, you really do live an interesting life, don't you?" Betsy asked.

She took a long drink and relaxed against the bar. There were a few thoughts that went through her mind.

"Nyssa assured me that the League had nothing to do with your brother's death," Alia said. "And after doing some research, he wouldn't be the type of person that the League would target. They don't really target the most upstanding citizens half of the time."

"Unless they're collateral damage," Betsy offered. She honestly wasn't arguing with Alia, merely just playing devil's advocate with her.

Alia decided to bring up another point to Betsy, not to muddy some already murky waters.

"Nyssa and Sara both told me that there were a couple of splinter factions in the League," Alia commented. "It is a slight possibility that one of those factions could be involved."

Betsy thought about that for a long moment and she could come to only one conclusion. She placed her arm around Alia to hold herself up.

"No, I don't think so," Betsy said.

She just had a feeling that this one was more personal, then some random hit by an assassin. The Braddock family had a few enemies and perhaps it would be prudent to take a closer look towards her.

The two of them enjoyed the time that they had with each other. The music started to get louder and Betsy, quite daringly, grabbed Alia around the hand and took her to feet.

The two of them danced. Alia was glad she had been taught to do so. Betsy was taught well as well, although her coordination was currently compromised.

"So, I've been doing some thinking," Betsy murmured her ear.

Alia pulled back from her and gave her a tiny bit of a cheeky smile, "Always a dangerous thing, luv."

Betsy gave her a side long look and it was obvious that there was a part of her that was extremely amused, but only a small part of her. Never the less, the two of them continued to dance a little bit, as Betsy decided that it was time for her to stop dancing around the subject.

"I thought that it might be best me to relocate to the United States," Betsy said. She looked into Alia's eyes and smiled at her. "There's a fresh start and a few fresh business opportunities to have."

"Well, isn't that interesting?" Alia asked.

She thought about it and Betsy was obviously fishing for feedback.

"Well, I think that it would a good idea," Alia said. Her arms wrapped around Betsy and she dipped her, bringing her down to the ground.

Betsy could feel Alia was rather close to her and her breath was in her face. That caused her to squirm underneath her grip and then Alia retracted her grip from her.

"The real question is that are you going to bring your pet with you?"

Betsy smirked, "Meggan….well I'm sure that goes without saying. You know that I like to keep her on a very short leash."

Alia's fingers brushed through Betsy's hair. The two of them stared at each other.

Betsy grew serious though.

"Really through, if anyone deserves to get away from things over here, Meggan does," Betsy said.

Alia would have to agree. She drew her arms around Betsy and pulled her into a tight hug. The two of them exchanged an intense kiss with each other.

Betsy thought that her inhibitions were just melting away. At first, she wanted to use the alcohol as an excuse, but there were other reasons, she felt. And one of them was the emerald eyed demi-goddess that currently at her in her arms.

"You know, we could give everyone a free show, or we could continue this upstairs," Betsy suggested playfully.

"Hmm, I'm not an exhibitionist by any means," Alia said. She scooped up Betsy bridal style and took them up to the room that the girls rented for the night.

Both of them ignored the looks they got. If people had a problem with this, well it was their problem to be honest. Most of the people they saw in the lobby looked like the snooty uptight type that wasn't getting laid either.

Meanwhile, off to the side of the floor, a rather attractive and Greek looking woman, dressed in red, reclined casually and slowly sipped on her drink.

"I'm in of need of your services."

She turned towards a shady looking man who looked quiet unkempt.

"Then go find a street walker," the Greek woman commented, looking rather disgusted.

"No, you don't understand, the hand is swollen."

The woman looked at him. "If you can afford my fees, then we'll talk."

"My benefactor can, and he wants you to tie up a loose end."

The Greek Assassin known as Elektra folded her arms. She was intrigued, and willing to hear him out.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	18. Old Wounds

**Chapter Seventeen: Old Wounds.**

* * *

Betsy stirred awake after the night that was. She had a bit of a terrific headache to be honest and it took her a long time to return herself back to some sense of being awake. She tried to hold her head up, but it sunk down into the pillows. She groaned in response when she wondered what hit her.

"And I overindulged last night a bit too much," Betsy said.

She could feel a pair of soft lips on the back of her neck. She shivered when the lips pushed on the back of her neck. She rolled over and winced when the sun was going through the room. It irritated her a slight amount and caused her some frustration. She sighed when she placed her hand on the side of her head.

Alia was lounging on the bed and smiling when she looked into Betsy's bright eyes. The woman took a moment to recover.

"So, did we do anything interesting last night?" Betsy asked.

"Define interesting," Alia muttered.

Betsy gave her a playful smile, "Well, I don't need to tell you about that, do I? I'll be happy to help you brush up on your education."

Alia smiled and she left the bed. Betsy was disappointed, but she didn't really want to open her eyes and follow what happened. It took her a couple of minutes to collect her thoughts and she figured that Alia might have used the bathroom.

Her footsteps returned to the bedroom and Betsy lifted her head up off the bed. She frowned.

"Right, I've got a terrific headache," she murmured. She sighed, and added, "What exactly happened last night?"

Alia gave a soft smile ,"Well, we made it up here and you needed to head to the toilet. I grabbed the back of your hair and held it back."

"Oh wonderful, instead of worshipping you, I hailed the porcelain gods," Betsy said. She intended to have some fun. "And please don't tell me that I passed out the moment that I came down here."

There was a clink of something. It was soft, but because of Betsy's hyper sensitive senses, it might have well have been drums going off in her ear.

"Yeah, that was loud," Betsy muttered.

"Sorry," Alia said. She looked rather amused because of the situation.

"So, you didn't answer my question," Betsy murmured.

Alia pulled out a vial and added it to the glass. The glass smoked and it mixed together. She had to let it stir for a couple of moments.

"Okay, fine, I won't tell you that you passed out and fell asleep," Alia said. "But, I'd be lying….don't worry, I'm sure that you can make it up to me later."

"Don't worry," Betsy said. She figured that she should finally pull herself out of bed. It was well after eight in the morning.

It wasn't too late, but it most certainly was earlier. Alia grabbed her by the hand and helped her sit up. Betsy blinked suddenly and Alia waved her hand, to draw the drapes and to darken the room a little bit more.

"Thanks, you're amazing," Betsy muttered.

"I do try," Alia said. She handed her a glass. "Here, drink this, it should help."

Betsy decided to down it. She pulled an utterly awful face when the substance touched the back of her throat. She groaned.

"What the bloody hell was that?" she demanded.

"It was a hangover cure," Alia said. "It worked, didn't it?"

"Yes," she conceded. She needed a drink of water to get that awful taste out of her mouth. "But, couldn't you have made it a little less….I don't know….bad tasting."

"Well, that might defeat the purpose," Alia informed her. "And I don't know what you're complaining about, it did work."

Betsy gave a half-hearted nod and she nodded in response. She lifted up her clothes off of the ground and made her way over to the shower.

Alia got a tantalizing view of her ass when she left. She was about ready to go after her, but she heard something outside the door.

There was someone or something creeping around in the hallway outside. She very much doubted that it was the maid. Just some kind of sixth sense she had.

Alia slipped on a bathrobe and opened the door. She looked to the right and to the left. She looked up and she looked down.

A Sai flew out of nowhere and she avoided it. It slammed against the wall.

Alia could see a dark haired woman with tanned skin rush inside her line of sight. The dark haired woman was drilling her with a series of rapid fire punches and even more rapid fire kicks.

The wind was knocked out of Alia briefly. This woman, whoever she was, was pretty damn good. The problem was that Alia was pretty damn good as well and she wasn't going to go down without a fight.

Alia blocked a jab to the throat and she flipped the woman over. She rushed towards her and nailed her with a series of kicks. The warrior princess backed off and rushed forward. She tried to nail her with a glancing blow to stun her.

The railing of the steps burned into a crisp when Alia slammed her hand into it. The mysterious Greek assassin was down onto the ground on the floor beneath her.

Alia gasped when a chain wrapped around her ankle. She was pulled down the hard way. The sickle at the end of the chain swung towards her throat.

A shield appeared and it blocked Alia from getting skewered straight through. The woman was momentarily surprised and that caused Alia to spear her through an open set of doors.

Both women ended up in the pool area. Alia flung the woman into the pool, and she flew into the ice cold water with a splash!

The woman raised her head out of the water, her dark hair dripped wet. The red top she wore very enticingly clung to her frame and became transparent.

Alia jumped in the pool to try and grab onto her. The woman dropped something into the water though and it caused a heavy cloud of steam.

She waved her hand and tried to cause the steam around the pool to disperse. Alia got up to her feet and chased the woman when she threw herself outside a window and rushed off into the concrete jungle in the city below.

Most certainly not League of Assassins, but she was still a person of interest. Alia lost her, in the distance, but she had a good look at her face, along with several other parts of her body.

That should be more than sufficient to hopefully hammer out where she was, who she was, and most importantly where she was going. Alia was certain that Betsy was going to be an ideal person to have with her because of her gifts.

* * *

"Someone must have it out for members of the Society," Betsy said.

She frowned when she thought about this. That was an extremely long list and it was hard to narrow it down. It would waste a great deal of breath for them to name all of the people who had it out for the Society and their members. Some were pissed that they had been missed out for inclusion.

Alia and Betsy returned back to the hotel after circling around. They had missed their alluring dark haired Greek Assassin. She might have been biding their time.

"We don't know whether or not she was after you or me," Betsy muttered. "Or if she was after both of us….regardless, assassins rarely kill without a reason."

That was one more that Alia learned through her dealings with the various members of the League of Assassins so far. There were also a wide variety of assassins.

She thought about asking for Diana's help with this, but she decided against it, at least for now. There were some things that Alia thought that she should try and accomplish on her own. She placed her hands on her hips and gave a labored sigh.

"So, do you have any idea who we're looking for?" Alia asked.

Betsy looked thoughtful and pondered that matter, "If I had to hazard a guess, it would be someone extremely suspicious."

Alia kept her eyes peeled when they entered the hotel. She had a hunch that the person who sent this Greek assassin after her, he was still there. Likely he wanted proof of his handiwork and he would want it now.

She shifted her eyes over the bar. There was a group of misfits in the bar. Alia frowned when she looked over the area of the bar and she approached the scene extremely carefully.

There were a group of hooligans, but they just seemed to be sitting around and shooting the shit with each other, about the latest Football game. They weren't the type of people who would stage an assassination. They might not be the type of people who you would like to mix with.

Alia's neck craned back and she could see someone shifting in the bar. He seemed surprised to see either her here or Betsy here.

The fact that he simply would have been in the bar like he was, wasn't enough of a cause of suspicion. The body language he had, when he got to his feet, that was more than enough.

'_I think that we've found him,' _Betsy projected to Alia.

Alia would have to agree and the man made his way down the dark hallway. There was a side exit off down the hallway. If he reached it, he would be free and in the clear. The problem was that that he wasn't going to be in the clear.

A chair was nudged in front of the man and he tripped over it like a klutz. He fell onto the ground and nearly did a face plant into the ground.

Betsy lifted his head off of the ground and Alia made sure he was secured. He had a blade up his sleeve, but that was quickly and concisely disarmed from him.

"I'll be blunt," Alia informed her. "We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way."

"I don't know what you're talking about," the man stammered. He seemed to have his tongue tangled and his words weren't forming. "HELP!"

"Don't be so melodromanic, no one can hear your screams," Betsy said. She seemed rather unamused by the man who was at her knees.

The man realized that he was pretty much screwed, more or less. He hitched in a deep breath when he could see the two girls, one of them that he tried to have assassinated.

"Forget it, I'm not telling you anything," he said. He paused and added in the most unconvincing manner possible, "That is, if I had something to tell you, which I don't."

Betsy and Alia didn't buy that for a moment. The two of them exchanged a look with each other.

Alia reached behind her and pulled out a rope. She held onto the end of it and wrapped it around the sleazy looking man.

"I don't care if you tie me up, I'm not saying anything," the sleazy man said.

Alia held onto the rope and she tugged it. The rope tightened around the man in question and she leaned forward to speak in a low voice, "But you were the one who hired the assassin."

"Yes," he said. He was terrified to hear what he was saying, but he couldn't help and tell the truth.

It was extremely terrifying to feel this witchcraft practically ensnare his mind and bewitch his senses. The rope tightened around him.

Alia knew that the charm worked like a charm. She leaned towards the man that she had entangled with the rope, "What was the name of your employer?"

"I don't know," he managed. "I never saw his face, he always paid me in cash."

That was something that both Betsy and Alia were both afraid of. There was something that they were afraid of, this employer.

"He just said that he wanted the Braddock loose end tied up," the man said.

He couldn't believe that he said something like that either. He was pretty much afraid that he was going to get killed. The rope tightened around his waist and Alia dropped him against the wall, knocking him out.

"Well, at least we know that the assassination attempt was intended for me," Betsy said. "But you got involved."

That was kind of what she did.

"So, do you think that she'll try again?" Betsy asked.

Alia pondered that thought. She was pretty sure that the assassin would try and off Betsy again. She had an idea of what she wanted to do.

"I'm pretty sure she would want to better herself," Alia said. She picked the man's cell phone out of his pocket and frowned.

She had a pretty good idea of what she needed to do now. Alia accessed the greasy man's bank account. He had a load of money to his name, but he wouldn't need it where he was going, at least if she had anything to say about it.

* * *

Elektra stalked around the hotel. The matter of professional pride was something that she seldom experienced. Granted, she should be good at her work and why shouldn't she be? But she tried not to let her pride get the better of her.

Now she wanted to settle the score with this mysterious warrior who stopped her from performing her job.

She recovered from her battle, licking her wounds, and returned with a renewed vigor. The dark haired Greek Assassin walked around the hotel lobby, it was after hours once again.

Something sailed right past her ear and struck against the wall. Elektra turned around and saw something shift in the shadows.

Elektra turned towards the writing in the wall. It pretty much burned in her eyes and there was one statement that practically taunted her.

**Tag, you're it.**

There was one thing Elektra was intrigued by and that was a challenge. Someone was challenging her and she wasn't about to lose out on this challenge.

Elektra made her way down into the hallways. There was no one around, at least not yet.

The door was halfway open and a bright light shined in her face. Elektra grabbed her hand around the door and pushed it open. She made her way to a gym area, and there was a sparring room.

She saw the warrior she fought earlier. She casually punched against the pads in the room. She was dressed in a bra sports bra and tight black yoga pants. She jumped up and kicked the bag off of the chain, causing it to fly in the room.

"I was wondering when you would show up," the warrior princess said. She stood a battle stance. "Elektra, isn't it?"

"This is nothing personal," Elektra said. She crossed the room and went up against her.

"Merely business?" Alia asked. "I think the reason while we're both here, is because business got very personal in a hury."

"You're a noble warrior," Elektra said to her. "I have a job to do and you got in my way. And when you get in my way…"

Alia reached behind her and pulled out a briefcase. She threw it at Elektra's feet. Out of all of the moves, she wasn't expecting that.

"Is this some kind of trick?" Elektra asked. She was suspicious, and potentially for good reason.

"Open it up, and see for yourself," Alia said.

There was a moment where Elektra lifted the briefcase up and she opened it up. There were stacks of crisp one hundred dollar bills. The Greek Assassin kept one eye on the money and one eye on the warrior princess.

"It's three times what that sleezeball was willing to pay you, and you get to walk out of here, which I think is a bonus," Alia said.

Elektra looked at her, her eyebrow raised. She frowned when her eyes skimmed over Alia's face and she considered that.

"You think that you have any ability to beat me?" Elektra asked.

"Maybe, maybe not, but do you really wish to incur the wrath of the Amazons?" Alia asked. "I trust that you've heard that they are some of the greatest woman warriors in the world. You might be able to handle one, but do you think that you can handle an entire army of them."

Elektra had heard tales about the Amazons and she did know about how dangerous and skilled they could be. She mentally went over her options. Out of all of the options she had, taking the money and walking away seemed to be the best option.

"You do know that even though that you paid me off, they will send another in my place," Elektra said.

Alia's lips curled into a smile and she nodded in confirmation, "I realize that. But they're going to have to settle for someone else."

Elektra noticed the flattery and she was really pleased about it. She didn't really say anything other than smile.

"Your friend should consider herself very fortunate," she spoke. "Not many could battle me to a stalemate."

"One day, I'm sure that our paths will cross once again, and I hope that it would be under better circumstances," Alia said.

Elektra took a step back and nodded. She assumed that it would be under better circumstances, at least she hoped so.

"So, do you have any idea who that man is working for?" Alia asked.

"You do know that I never betray the confidence of a client," Elektra said.

Alia read that as if she didn't really know. She was pretty sure the man's phone would hold many answers to what he did. At least that's what Alia's assumption was.

'_Then again, I've learned what happens to people who assume,' _Alia said.

Elektra decided to take a deal and she took the briefcase in her hand. She was about ready to leave, but she stopped.

"What, is the case the wrong color?" Alia asked her.

Elektra shook her head, "No, it's nothing like that."

"Then what is it?" Alia asked her.

"What would you have done if I had attacked you and not decided to take the payoff?" Elektra asked.

Alia stepped towards her and smiled, "What, if the Amazon thing wasn't a deterrent? If you thought that I was bluffing?"

Elektra crooked her head to one side. That was something that was a great concern to be honest. And it was obvious that this Warrior Princess had a plan. She just didn't know it yet.

"Well," Alia said. "Let's say, hypothetically, that you didn't take my offer. I have someone in the League of Assassins that owes me a favor. Let's just say that she wouldn't take too kindly to you not playing ball after I saved her daughter."

Elektra had a pretty good idea who she was talking about and she also had a pretty good idea that she made the right choice.

The woman took the money and disappeared into the night. Alia figured that they would cross again.

'_What a night,' _Alia thought to herself.

There was a drive that sat on the ground in front of her. Elektra must have dropped it, or intended for her to have it. She wasn't sure, but she was interested in finding out.

* * *

Betsy and Alia went over the information that Elektra gave them. There were a few names of value, but there was one name that stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Shaw," Betsy muttered.

"You mean, like Sebastian Shaw?" Alia asked.

"Yes," Betsy said in confirmation.

There was an expression in her eyes that seemed to point to the fact that there was far more than she was letting on. Alia reached and gripped her hand.

"There's more, isn't it?" Alia asked.

"His son, Shinobi, might be the more interesting party in this entire rotten mess," Betsy said. She closed her eyes and there was something that she obviously didn't intend to share.

"Why do I sense the tone of regret?" Alia asked.

Alia patiently waited for Betsy to spend a couple of moments collecting her thoughts. It was a hard one for her to wrap her head around.

Betsy finally had collected her thoughts.

"We used to date," Betsy said. She corrected herself. "Well, we went on one date and we attended some of the same functions, and he spent half of the time calling me at all hours of the day and night, saying that I should be honored that he has focused his exclusive attention on me."

Alia's jaw became rather set when Betsy gave her this description.

"Brian told him to bugger off, and this was about six months before…it happened," Betsy commented.

The timing was long enough to be a coincidence for some people, but it was short enough where Alia figured that it would be logical that Shaw would be behind what happened to Betsy's brother.

"I heard about him, isn't he dating Alison Blaire?" Alia asked.

"Well, they were seen together in public at least once," Betsy said.

"Given how obsessive he can be, it might be a wise idea to keep an eye on Miss Blaire," Alia said.

One thing was for certain, if Shinobi was behind this attack, he targeted the wrong person.

"Be careful, luv, the Shaws are extremely well connected," Betsy said.

"So, I am," Alia said.

She wrapped her arms around Betsy and held her in close. Betsy could feel her hot breath against her face.

"We're going to have to worry more about that in the morning," Alia said.

"Yes, I need to thank you for getting me out of that tight fix."

Betsy straddled Alia's lap and kissed the hell out of her. The two of them knew that this was going to get heated pretty quickly, after the tension that had sparked from the last two times they were together.

They just let it happen. Alia's hands felt up Betsy's body and sent tingles through her.

Needless to say, there was some heavy tension to be worked out.

* * *

**To Be Continued.**


	19. Last Minute Business

**Chapter Eighteen: Last Minute Business.**

* * *

After her time with Betsy included, Alia joined Rose, who was meeting with Rowena. Rowena was studying what Lily did and they hoped that they could find the root cause of the spell that she did and bring her back to the land of the living.

Unfortunately, as with everything involving magic, it was far from that simple. Rowena looked a bit frustrated when she sat the two of them down next to each other.

"So, guess that there's going to be some bad news already, isn't there?" Rose asked.

Rowena sighed. She offered the two of them a seat when they sat down. When they were settled, she launched into the explanation that she was offered.

"I pride myself on knowing a lot about the ins and the outs of magic," Rowena commented. There was a long pause when she lifted the cup of tea and took a long drink. She shook her head and smiled in response. "That is why with this particular charm, I find myself honestly and utterly baffled with the origins involved."

Rose raised an eyebrow. She looked at the woman who was the godmother of magical knowledge. Surely she must have some sort of idea what happened? There were few options to go to that were better than Rowena.

"But certainly you have some kind of idea?" Rose asked.

Alia had an idea, but she wanted Rowena to talk and she wanted to know whether or not her hunch was right.

"Well, the origin of the charm might have been through divine means," Rowena offered. "And that means that there was someone who might have helped Lily out, even though Lily doesn't recall meeting her, due to the fact that only the spirit is a slight echo."

Alia wondered something about this. She frowned. The more questions that were asked, the more answers that she failed to receive.

"So, she's a ghost?" Alia asked.

"No, not exactly, she's neither ghost, dead, or alive, she just exists," Rowena said. "Like I said, the nature of the charm preformed is essentially unprecedented."

"So, we know that there is a divine source and there is a pretty good source for something like that," Alia said.

There was really no need for any of them to point out what was the blatantly obvious. Alia knew it, they all knew it. The hand of Circe could be felt in this situation.

Alia recalled what she said. She owed her a debt that she could never fully repay. Could this be it? Could this be the debt? Alia didn't really doubt it all that much, in fact she really expected it to be perfectly honest.

"So, we're all thinking along the same lines," Rowena said.

"Maybe I can talk to her?" Alia asked.

"Careful," Rowena warned her. "Circe might have had the best intentions in mind with this, but that still doesn't undercut how dangerous she could be."

Alia was about to bring up a consideration and Rowena jumped in to cut her off before the consideration could properly be brought up.

"Yes, I realize that Circe can and would be an extremely valuable mentor," Rowena added. Alia frowned and Rowena added with a smile, "But, remember her past, and remember that there is always some kind of double meaning."

"If she's the only way that my sister can be brought back though?" Rose asked.

The frustration in her voice was obvious. They really hoped that they couldn't rely on one person, especially when it was this person.

Alia shrugged and she patted her aunt on the top of her hand in a reassuring way. "Don't worry; there are other people that we can enlist the help of, if push comes to shove."

There were a couple of people off of the top of her head that Alia could ask. She looked at the rune.

"It never does hurt to have a second opinion," Rowena said. "Even I've been wrong before. It hasn't been often, but when it has, it has been spectacular."

Alia thought that she would cherish that moment for a long time. Rowena Ravenclaw admitted that she was wrong. The again, she would have to be wrong about a lot of things.

"I did, after all, let my precious school fall under the thumbs of idiots," Rowena said. "But, given how corrupt the magic has gotten, the joke's on them, they can have it."

Alia smiled, "Well, thank you."

"Best of luck to you, and I'll keep looking," Rowena said.

The two of them parted ways and Alia made her way back to the Delacour Residence. There was still some last minute packing to do, before they made the trip to America. The Delacours would be joining them in a few weeks.

The moment she returned home, Alia ran head long into an extremely flustered and stressed Diana.

"What's wrong?" Alia asked her.

Diana jumped almost up in the air. It was like she was shocked to see that Alia was there. Alia guided her down onto the couch and placed her hands on the side of her shoulders, and frowned.

"You seem tense?" Alia questioned.

Diana sighed and she admitted it, "I am tense."

Alia's hands slowly worked up and down her sister's shoulder, giving her a massage. She leaned forward.

"Rough first day," Alia muttered.

"People don't want to listen to a word I say, and they spent half of the time arguing with each other," Diana said in frustrated. She could feel Alia's hands and she sighed, absolutely content with what she was doing. Alia smiled when she kept rubbing the back of her sister's neck. "Guess I got off on the wrong foot."

"No one said that it was going to be easy, but Mother wouldn't have given you that job if you weren't up for it."

Diana would have to agree, there was no way her mother would have given her that job if she wasn't up for it.

"So, what do you think I should do now?" Diana asked.

Alia looked at her sister and slowly ran her hands down the back of her neck. Diana shivered when Alia massaged her and worked off her top.

"Maybe you should find some other way to also inspire people," Alia said. She ran her hands down her sister's lower back and maneuvered her in circles. "Just think about it, and think about what you're capable of."

Diana thought about that and she considered it. Working with these diplomats could be rough and she was glad that Alia was here to give her a little bit of a pep talk. She didn't know what she would do without it.

"Thanks," Diana muttered.

She laid down on the couch, her work clothes stripped off, now wearing a lacy pair of bra and panties, when her younger sister's magical hands worked all over her body. She breathed heavily when Alia worked her over again and again.

* * *

"It's hard to believe that a planet just exploded like that," Claire muttered.

She was in deep discussion with Kara about her heritage and her powers. Kara had gotten the blessing from both Jonathan and Martha to go forward and to help train Claire with her powers. It was more grudgingly on Jonathan's part.

Kara couldn't fault the man for wanting to have his daughter live a normal life. Believe her; Kara wanted that for her cousin as well. The problem was that she didn't have the luxury of a normal life, and the sooner she learned to balance all sides of herself, the better things were going to be.

"Frustrating, but true, and your father tried to warn them, but they didn't listen to them," Kara said. "My mother as well."

"You would think that with two people as smart as that, they would listen," Claire said.

Kara smiled and placed her hand on her cousin's shoulder to squeeze it.

"Well, they should have, but they didn't," Kara said. "And it did work out for the better in its own way."

She couldn't help, but think at times what might have happened if Krypton remained. However, Kara wasn't really complaining about how she won out right now. She thought that she hit the jackpot in many ways.

That being said, she turned to her young cousin.

"We should begin your training really soon," Kara informed her. Claire nodded. "First, you need to learn how to fight without your powers, before you master them."

Claire looked at Kara like she was insane and to be honest, Kara half expected that look from her cousin. The obvious question was in fact obvious.

"Why would I need to learn how to fight without my powers?" Claire asked.

Kara reached the cellar with Claire behind her. She wanted to take a look at the ship. There was a long pause where Kara didn't answer her cousin's question. She looked carefully over the ship that was down in the cellar.

"Because, relying on your powers is a good way to get you into too much trouble," Kara said to her. "I'll explain it more to you later."

Claire agreed. She frowned when she saw Kara look over the ship.

"There's nothing out of the ordinary, at least nothing that isn't of an immediate concern," Kara said. She paused and turned to Claire. "At least there's nothing that I can really deal with right now."

Kara rose out of the cellar and moved to join Claire. She could see from the movement going off near the Kent House that there were visitors and it would be kind of rude not to meet them, at least far as Kara was concerned.

She noticed Rose show up, along with the twins, Donna, and Mary. Martha hugged Rose when she turned up.

"Thank you for everything that you've done," Martha said. She pulled herself away from her cousin.

Rose smiled at her and waved off her words. "No problem, that's what family is for."

The girls all settled in. Kara moved over to join them. Donna walked up next to Kara.

"Where are Alia and Diana?" Kara asked.

"Alia was here briefly, but she had to go and take care of something," Donna commented.

Kara was rather disappointed that she missed Alia. Donna noticed the look on Kara's face and reached over to give her hand a squeeze and give her a smile.

"Don't worry, she'll be back," Donna informed Kara. She tightened her grip around the Kryptonian's hand. She smiled and added, "As for Diana, well she's arguing with the United Nations, I think you'd agree that she'd rather be here than argue with that lot."

Kara would have to agree. She watched when Claire move her way over.

"Oh, it must be so neat to live on a farm," Mary said. "All of the chores and stuff, that would be...well that's interesting."

"It's just life," Claire said. "Would you like me to show you around?"

The twins followed the group and Kara wondered if it was such a good idea to leave Amanda and Emily unsupervised. She was mostly at ease when she realized that Rose was with them.

She did wonder what Alia was up to now. Kara turned towards Donna, who responded with a shrug.

"I really don't know," Donna admitted. "All she said was that it was something really important. She was over here a couple of times before that, wasn't she?"

"Yes, she and I went over here to talk to Martha and Jonathan about Claire," Kara informed her.

Kara tried to buzz Alia through the bond. Unfortunately, there was a bit of "static". It was like that Alia entered a highly magical area that caused the frequency to be jammed.

That made Kara extremely curious for a number of reasons. She suspected that she would find out sooner or later what was going on here. The good news was that Alia wasn't in trouble, because if she was, there would be no bond static at all. It would just be an endless void of nothing.

For right now, she was going to enjoy the time that she spent with family and friends.

* * *

Alia made her way to a small shop on the outskirts of Smallville. To the naked eye, the shop looked to be extremely harmless.

More than a casual look proved to looks could in fact be deceiving. Alia made her way into the shop. It belonged to an old friend of James Potter, named Giovanni Zatara.

"Hello?" Alia asked.

The shop seemed a little creepy to be honest. She looked around and she was fairly nervous. She stepped around the shop. There were a few items that hung from the ceiling and the walls, looming in a fairly ominous manner. Alia hitched in her breath when she stepped into the room. There was a huge part of her that felt that there was something up, although she didn't know what that could be.

Someone came from the back room. It looked to be a female around eighteen or nineteen years of age. Her silky black hair was tied back past her shoulder. She wore a tight white shirt against her breasts and tighter black pants. That caused her gaze to wander all over her body. She was someone that was extremely beautiful.

She gave them a warm smile in response, "Yes, may I help you?"

"Hello, I'm looking for Giovanni Zatara," Alia said.

The girl looked crestfallen. "My father...he's not around anymore."

"Sorry to hear about your loss," Alia said. She meant every word that she said.

"Thank you," the girl commented. She stepped closer towards her. "My father went missing after a home invasion and a number of his personal effects were missing. While I hold out hope for his eventual and safe return, it doesn't sound too probable for him."

Again, she looked remorseful. She shook her head and cleared her thoughts.

"My name is Zatanna, Zatanna Zatara," she said.

"Alia Evans," Alia responded. That caused Zatanna to look at her, with an eyebrow raised curiously. "Maybe you could help me with something?"

Zatanna nodded. She could sense the urgency in the girl's eye.

"Of course, of course," Zatanna said.

Without another word, Alia took out a stone with a rune drawn upon it. Zatanna frowned when she looked over the rune. There was something clicking in her mind. She casually reached behind her and pulled out a book. After plopping it down on the table, she flipped through the book, looking for a reference. If she was right, this was one extremely powerful rune, providing of course she was right.

She happened to be right.

"The rune of protection, it needs to be powered by some kind of sacrifice, normally a parent sacrificing himself or herself for a child, or vice versa, I suppose," Zatanna said. "A sibling relationship would work as well, I guess, but any further than that, and it's going into murky territory. You're dealing with some extremely advanced magic."

In fact, she would have to go as far as to say that nine times out of ten it would get screwed up.

"It's like when any kind of soul magic is used, we're delving in some dangerous, dangerous territories," Zatanna commented. "You don't want to know what might have happened if something else corrupted the rune of protection."

"Would either party involved have their spirit trapped in some kind of limbo?" Alia asked.

"It might be," Zatanna said. "To reset the magic, one side of the rune needs to go completely into the afterlife and the other side has to stay on the mortal plane. The sacrifice needs to be complete."

Alia stared at Zatanna, who shrugged in response. Her bright blue eyes met Alia's green eyes. In fact, Zatanna was spending an extraordinary amount of time staring in Alia's green eyes.

"That's the theory anyway," she murmured, when she returned back to life. "But it has never been done to this extent, so there's no telling what could happen."

Alia feared that something like that was the case. She hoped that nothing that extreme would happen. There had to be other ways, but the problem was no one had found out those other ways, so she was back to square one again.

"I never thought that this would happen," Zatanna said.

"What?" Alia asked.

"The Girl-Who-Lived entering my father's shop," Zatanna said.

There was a long pause, and Alia wondered what to do now. How could she have figured it out?

"Those eyes, they are the eyes of Lily Evans-Potter, I must have seen them up close many times," Zatanna murmured to herself. She was caught in Alia's eyes, practically spell bound. She shook her head. "But, don't worry; I won't breathe a word of any of this to anyone in the Ministry of Magic."

"Thank you," Alia said.

There was a long pause between the two. Neither of them knew what to say next, so Zatanna was the one that broke the ice.

"I know that there is a good reason for you to get away from that world and to maybe learn your powers to their fullest extent," Zatanna said. "I'm really grateful that my father kept me away from that world. It really worked out in the end."

She also paused and added, "And I can't envy your position in the slightest."

"Why?" Alia asked.

"Well, given that Lily is being held between life and death, that must be putting a severe drain on your magical abilities," Zatanna said.

Alia shrugged and responded, "I hadn't really noticed."

Zatanna didn't say anything, but the fact that she didn't notice most certainly wasn't normal. It just showed how powerful and extraordinary she was and that blew Zatanna away.

There was one thing that Alia needed to do now. She needed to bite the bullet and talk to Circe about this. She really hoped that this would all end up for the better.

* * *

The Twins, Rose, and Mary settled in for the night. Diana, Alia, Donna, and Kara all sat around to one of the many Evans family properties they had in the Kansas area. This one wasn't directly in Smallville, but it was close enough to be a hop, a skip, and a jump way. So, Kara could run over to continue her cousin's training.

The girls swapped stories about the day that was. Alia was the last, talking about her meeting with Zatanna and the conclusion that she reached.

Diana reacted, well actually she reacted a bit better than one would think, when the dreaded name of Circe was brought up.

"So, she was the one who gave Lily the book," Kara said. She hoped to avoid Diana acting too badly.

Given that Diana and Alia just recently patched things up after the last blow up they had, they would have liked to avoid that if at all possible. Kara's nerves didn't think that she could take it.

"We should have known," Donna agreed.

Alia gave her a warning look off to the side. That was the wrong thing for her to say and Donna slumped down, folding her hands underneath her chin. She sighed extremely long and extremely hard after a moment.

"So, what do you think?" Alia asked.

Diana blinked.

"Do you honestly want my opinion this?" Diana asked her.

Alia could tell that Diana was holding her tongue. She reached over and grabbed her hand.

"Yes, Diana, I want your honest opinion about this," Alia said.

Diana could tell that she was not going to be mad. To be honest, she didn't know what to think.

"To be honest, I don't really know what to think," Diana muttered. Alia looked closer towards her and she added. "I just wonder what kind of agenda Circe had."

"Well, it was Riddle and he represented the worst of magic, so that could be her agenda," Alia said. "Just because you've had the worst experiences with Circe, it doesn't necessary mean that she'll always be the worst."

"Maybe," Diana murmured. She didn't know what to think to be honest. She eased back from Alia.

She knew that this entire Circe mess was a sore spot for both of them and Diana really didn't want to push her sister too much. Alia declined training with Circe and that pleased Diana. Even though it would help Alia push herself to greater limits.

There was a knock on the door and Alia got up. She opened the door to see a very haunted Cassandra looking at her.

"Nightmare?" Ali asked.

Cassandra nodded. Alia grabbed her hand and lead her down the hallway towards her room.

"Your father is dead, that life is over," Alia informed her. "And I won't let anything happen to you."

Cassandra smiled and she nodded.

"Thank you," she managed.

Alia kissed her on the top of her head and lead her to her room. She was rather broken to be honest. Alia really hoped that the time in Smallville would cause things to improve. It really was a tranquil and nice place to live. If you didn't count the meteor showers, but that was an exception to the rule.

The young warrior princess made her way back to her room when she was sure that Cass was in bed. She paused and she fished out her cell phone.

It was a text message from Oracle. It was marked urgent and that put Alia on high alert.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	20. Almighty Zeus

**Chapter Nineteen: The Almighty Zeus. **

* * *

Gwen Stacy was currently on the investigation with the Sons of Zeus. She didn't stick around for too long when she had a chance to leave the warehouse. When she returned though, they were all cleared out. Gwen took a long look around and found nothing that was all that incriminating.

It was one of those situations where they were likely moving around their base of operation a lot. Gwen voiced this concern to Barbara over the headset that she had.

"I think that you'd be right, Gwen," Barbara agreed. "Whoever is there, they are moving around a lot. They must have a lot of money and a lot of resources."

Gwen thought about that fact and she would have to agree. She wondered who this Zeus was. There was a couple of ideas in her mind of what he was capable of and it didn't matter if they were really some group of demented demi-gods. The fact is Zeus had convinced them.

"So, does Zeus really believe that he's the real deal, or is he just mentally messed up as the kids that he's trying to control?" Gwen asked.

She looked around for any kind of clue, but so far, she kept hitting dead end after dead end in her attempts to location information. Gwen really hoped that she could find the one thing that would bring the investigation to a close.

"That's a good question," Barbara mused.

"But, the question is do you have a good answer?" Gwen asked.

Barbara laughed and she grew serious, "Something like that, you're very likely to become the mask even though you don't start out that way."

"So, we're dealing with someone who is that bent, wonderful," Gwen murmured. She would like to say this day kept getting better and better, but that was sarcasm if there ever was one.

She could hear someone approaching her. She turned around and saw Barbara standing right behind her.

"Thank you for causing me a near heart attack," Gwen said. "I thought that you were going to sit out the mission control end of this?"

"I can do that just as easily standing at your shoulder, and there was a computer here that I couldn't access remotely," Barbara said. She paused, and added, almost as an afterthought, "Oh, and sorry for scary you half to death, that really wasn't my attention."

Gwen frowned and shrugged. She thought that there were times where Barbara really knew how to push her buttons and not in a good way. Regardless, they made their way to a suspicious looking door.

"Locked," Barbara muttered. She clicked her way through the door and it swung open. "But, that's not a problem."

They entered what appeared to be a dusty looking office. There was a really old computer there in the office.

"Well, that explains why you couldn't hack into this computer," Barbara offered Gwen. Gwen frowned. "This computer must be as old as sin."

"Older, maybe," Barbara responded.

A pair of figures showed up and Barbara turned around. She nearly staggered back, and only relaxed, when she saw that it was just Alia. There was a tall dark haired woman with blue eyes that Barbara didn't know.

"So, I guess we had the same idea, didn't we?" Alia asked her.

"Scaring me half to death, and not triggering my spider sense?" Gwen asked. Barbara gave her a playful punch to the arm. Gwen looked back mockingly at her, and she sighed. "So, it's a pleasure to meet you, Alia…..and….."

"This is my older, sister, Diana," Alia said. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Gwen."

Gwen looked like she about choked when she heard Alia give out her name so discreetly and so casually. Barbara reached over and patted Gwen firmly on the back, which caused her to breath heavily.

"Oh, you just…you just had to say my real name?" Gwen asked.

"I don't get it," Alia said. She turned to Diana. "Is this some kind of thing on the mainland?"

"It might be," Diana admitted.

"Well, it's all the rage when you're doing the sneaky hero thing to have a super-secret codename, like I'm Oracle, and occasionally….I have an alternate codename," Barbara explained. She was amused that she had to explain one of the more obvious things in the entire world. "Gwen's really into hers for some reason, and while it's obvious if you knew her, she was Spider-Girl, she still likes her privacy."

Gwen would have stuck her tongue out.

"You two should have a codename, though, if you're going to do this hero thing," Gwen said. She placed her hands on her hips.

Funnily enough, Alia was not swayed by this argument. Her bright green eyes met Gwen's baby blue eyes, even if they were slightly hidden underneath the mask. "I don't do codenames."

The next argument that Gwen gave her was less persuasive than the argument that she had gotten before. Her arms folded underneath her chest. Barbara reached over and patted her on the top of the head.

"I know one thing though, I'm kind of sick of the Sons of Zeus and their bullshit," Alia said.

"Join the club, it's an ever growing one," Gwen said. They had been giving her the runaround.

Barbara got a call and she realized that she needed to take it. She moved over to take it, leaving Gwen, Diana, and Alia to talk with each other.

"So, Spider-Girl?" Diana asked.

"Hey, I got bit my a spider, and I'm a girl, what more do you need?" Gwen asked.

Alia crossed the distance in the room and gave her a small grin, "Well, anyone knows that name is far from accurate, given the fact that you're nothing, but all woman."

Gwen wasn't going to say anything, but she did grow kind of flustered.

"Thea's missing again," Barbara said.

Alia figured that since the Sons of Zeus went after her once, they would go after her again.

"Laurel has a hunch who might behind this, and if she's right, we better go and back her up," Barbara said.

"Is she field ready yet?" Gwen asked, she looked nervous.

Barbara shook her head, "If they really are demi-gods, we're going to need to back her up."

* * *

Dinah Laurel Lance entered a nightclub that was owned by Maxie Zeus. He had a lot of Greek themed night clubs, throughout the United States. This entire Sons of Zeus thing started to crop up when he came out of seclusion. The man had grown extremely eccentric since the death of his wife and had gone on a long journey.

It was one of those journeys where the person in question might not have come out the same ever again. Laurel didn't know, but she did know that one of them dropped a business card that did have the Olympus advertised on them. Whether or not one of the bastard sons of Zeus worked here in his day job, or just frequented here, she honestly didn't know.

Laurel intended to find out. She went inside of the back entrance, dressed with a black mask over her face, a tight black one piece outfit, and a jacket, along with a choker around her neck and fingerless gloves. She had knee high boots and fishnets on.

It wasn't the most practical thing in the world, but Laurel had to admit that the outfit gave her a certain amount of confidence. She stepped up with her training after Sara's death and was ready for anything.

She ducked around a corner, when some individual moved past her. There was no need to worry, it was merely the maintenance man. She held in her breath when he passed her.

She slipped further down the hallway. There were muffled groans coming from an office. That caused the fishnet clad heroine to pick up the paces. The door was locked. Laurel managed to pick the lock.

The muffling continued and Laurel could hear someone continue to grumble behind the wall. She rapped on the wall, but there was no answer, at least for a moment. There was a long pause and she slid the wall open.

There was a set of steps. It was rather winding and rickety. It was an old set of steps as well. She frowned when she edged her way down the steps, getting closer to the end.

Laurel stopped and spotted the one and only Maxie Zeus. There was a pipe down on the ground by his feet and he looked tied up. Despite the fact that there was a pipe, there was no blood and no obvious injury. As a daughter of a police officer, that was also an attorney, an white flag rose up in her mind.

She would see. She reached forward and removed the gag from Zeus's mouth.

"Those hooligans attacked me!" Zeus bellowed at the top of his lungs.

He seemed a bit too over dramatic for someone who got attacked. Laurel frowned, when she leaned down.

"What do you have to do with the Sons of Zeus?" Laurel asked.

"I don't have to answer any of your questions, not without an attorney," Zeus said.

Given her day job, Laurel had to crack a smile at the irony of the situation. She managed to keep a straight face when she looked Zeus in the eye. She leaned closer towards him, and the smile crossed her face.

"I don't think that you have any options, that is, if you want to walk out of here intact," Laurel said.

The wall blasted open right next to her. Laurel managed to throw herself to the ground and avoid being choked by the dust. A group of armored men surrounded her.

She pulled herself to her feet and opened her mouth. A sonic cry echoed and sent two of the sons of Zeus flying into the wall where they crashed with a thunderous thud.

'_Thanks, Gwen, worked like a charm,' _Laurel said. She flipped over one of the sons of the Zeus.

She avoided one of them, and she kicked him in the face with a high kick. One of them tried to fry her with a spear, but she avoided the pulse of electricity. She jumped up and drove both feet onto the back of her neck.

"Get her!" one of the Sons of Zeus yelled.

She dodged the punches and the kicks. Some of them really did pack a punch though when they connected. Laurel felt her knees weaken underneath her when she collapsed down on her hands and knees. It felt like someone took her legs out from underneath her.

"Take Aphrodite and bring her to me!" a loud voice bellowed.

Laurel didn't know whether or not to be feel flattered or insulted. She could hear the sounds of goons being taken out.

For a brief second, Laurel blacked out. Or at least it seemed like a brief second from her perspective, it was likely a lot more. Someone bent down and started to shake her shoulder, stirring Laurel to a state of being awake.

"What?" Laurel asked.

Several of the Sons of Zeus were down, and she saw Gwen, Alia, and a young woman that she hadn't met before standing above her.

"Are you okay?" Gwen asked.

"I've had better," Laurel said. She shook her head. "Zeus must have left….Maxie Zeus, not the Greek God Zeus, although I wonder if he thinks that now."

"This is my sister, Diana, who is about to use a trick to get information," Alia said. Diana already wrapped the lasso around the gun.

"Who are you?" Diana asked.

"I am a Phillip, a proud son of Zeus," he commented. "And I'm to help my father reclaim his rightful queens."

It was obvious that he thought that he was talking to the real deal. The rest of the Sons of Zeus laid slain on the ground, blood dripping from their mouths.

"That was a bit of an overkill the rescue, wasn't it?" Laurel asked Alia.

"All of the goons were already down when we got here," Alia said. Laurel raised her eyebrow and Alia caught the other question that was dancing on the tip of her tongue. "And for the record, we have no idea who rescued you."

Laurel had a slight hunch and she knew that Alia had a slight hunch. Right now, they had to take this communication from Barbara, which was obviously fairly urgent.

* * *

Sara Lance was glad that she was in town. Her sister did have some really good training under her belt from what she observed, but there was a problem. She was dealing with overwhelming numbers and people who were in a completely different weight class.

'_If I didn't have the element of surprise, I don't think that I would have done as well,' _Sara thought. She frowned when she looked around and shook her head. _'But that's just how things seem to fit in, like that.'_

Right now, she was staking out GCU. Helena Sandsmark was currently giving a presentation. Given her status as an expert on Greek mythology, Sara had a feeling that she would be targeted. In fact, she attended one of her lectures in her past life and she found it rather illuminating all things considered.

Those Sons of Zeus annoyed her for some reason, a reason that Sara couldn't fully explain.

'_If they're going to try something, they're going to try something right now,' _she thought.

The only problem was that no one seemed to show up. Sara crossed her arms and waited. She frowned, but there was no one turning up just yet.

Was she really dealing with demi-gods? Sara was willing to entertain the possibility that she was, after everything she had seen as a member of the League. This mission was a bit of a more personal one for her, and thus she had left Nyssa out of the loop, if nothing else to give her a plausible deniability.

The fact they kidnapped a friend of hers and tried to do the same to her sister pissed Sara off to no end. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. No matter how hard she was purged from her past life, there were some elements of it where she wouldn't quite let go of.

It was not something that she thought too much about though. Sara knew that she would have to confront her past eventually, even after she was reborn as the Canary. Regardless, she placed her hand on her chin and waited in the shadows.

'_Security is tight, although there are blind spots to the left, and over there to that side, and around the back,' _Sara thought.

It really was a problem when someone was an assassin and they mentally started picking out the flaws of the security. Sara waited to attack at the position.

Helena Sandsmark exited the GCU campus. Sara looked from the left and to the right. There was no one who was acting overtly suspicious. Their body language didn't indicate that they were going to try something wicked.

She had a long conversation with a colleague that stopped her. Sara didn't hear anything out of the ordinary.

Was she wrong? Sara didn't know. She slid down and dropped onto the ground. She got a better look around.

Still nothing, at least that's what she figured. Sara pulled the hood up over her forehead and made her way out into the open.

So far, so good, at least nothing out of the ordinary. Sara wondered if she had been mistaken about all of that.

Something was behind her. Or rather someone. The Canary tensed up. If someone was getting the drop on her, they weren't doing a good job.

'_Or they want me to follow them,' _Sara thought. She made her way down the alleyway and saw absolutely nothing.

"Hello, Sara."

Sara turned around and withdrew a blade when she faced the person coming down the alleyway. It was obvious that this was inevitable that they would run into each other, although she didn't want it to happen that soon.

She was tense and it was for good reason

* * *

Thea Queen groaned when she felt the lump rise on the top of her head. It took her a couple of moments to return to a feeling of being awake. She shook her head and she inclined her head from one side to the next.

"What the hell happened?" Thea groaned.

She realized that she was not dressed in her normal clothes, rather she was dressed in some kind of Greek royal garb, that might be found in a dramatic picture of the Greek goddesses. She shook her head and she looked at a group of men who looked to be in their late thirties or maybe their early forties, even if they tried to portray themselves as much younger.

Some unsettling questions passed through her mind. The squick factor also went through the roof when Thea realized that someone had to strip her of her clothes and put her into these new clothes.

"Good, Artemis, the goddess of the hunt is awake!" a loud and booming voice yelled. "My name is Zeus, and my sons have brought you here to be unlocked from your mortal form."

Thea wasn't taking this all that well to be honest. In fact, she wasn't taking this well at all, to be perfectly honest.

"You perverted bastard, kidnapping someone young enough to be your daughter!" Thea yelled.

"Do not be alarmed, you have not been touched, my virginal goddess," Zeus said. "Your innocence will be mine to claim at the proper moment."

That caused the teenage girl to pull a rather nasty face. That wasn't about to make things better, it made things so much more worse. She felt sickened, and realized how tight this attire was on her. It was done by design she had a feeling.

"Soon, all of the goddesses will be by me!" Zeus narrated. "The crown jewel, Hera, will be at my side! She will support Zeus!"

"Yeah, what is Hera, five?" Thea asked.

"Mine your tongue, Artemis," one of the Zeus said. They hoped to get a piece of these goddesses when their father was finished with them.

Thea could feel their leering eyes. They were ugly, middle aged old men. Instead of buying a motorcycle or going skydiving for their midlife crisis, they decided to join this Sons of Zeus group. A less healthy option, as far as she was concerned.

The creepy factor was getting a little creepier, when Thea recognized a young girl of about thirteen or fourteen years of age being lead into the room. She stopped and saw that she was Cassandra Sandsmark and she was dressed in the similar garb. Thea was dragged along to one of those charity functions that rich people attended, and she met Cassie and Helena Sandsmark.

The girl looked rather woozy and it caused a twisting feeling of disgust to manifest in Thea's gut when she wondered what lengths they got to convince the Sandsmark girl to come along.

"Yes, the Sandsmark child is perfect, she has the spirit of Hestia deep within her body, and she would be the perfect bride!" Zeus bellowed. "I will soon create a brand new generation of gods, and over the ashes of Gotham City, there will be a New Olympus."

Thea couldn't help but notice, despite her disgust, this particular statement caused some of the Sons of Zeus to grow completely uncomfortable. Perhaps they were considering that they could be extremely expendable. Thea wasn't going to lie, that fact kind of made her smile a tiny bit, and she was glad they were uncomfortable.

'_Good, I'm glad, fucking jerks,' _she thought to herself.

Thea realized that an old man was thinking about marrying a thirteen year old girl and that caused her to be sickened to her stomach even more. This took on another disturbing level, when she realized that he intended to use her to form a new generation of gods.

"You should have not failed to grab Aphrodite," Zeus continued. "And soon, Alia Evans will be drawn here, and Hera will be awakened inside her."

Thea thought that she was going to be sick to her stomach. She noticed that there was a mousy looking woman sitting off to the side.

"Just hang tight," she muttered to Thea.

Thea wondered about this woman. She seemed oddly composed.

"Make sure you keep a close watch on Circe, she's a trickster!" Zeus bellowed. At least a couple of his "sons" seemed to regret throwing their cards in with Zeus.

"So?" Thea asked. "I'm Artemis, Alia Evans is Hera, and Cassie is Hestia….and that makes you….Circe?"

Thea thought she could find a weak spot in the ropes, she might get out of here. The problem was she didn't like the look at those lightning rods in the hands of the sons of Zeus.

"Actually, I am."

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	21. New Age of the Gods

**Chapter Twenty: The New Age of Gods. **

* * *

Sara and Laurel came face to face with each other. She wasn't sure what she envisioned, but Sara thought that this wasn't the sisterly reunion that she thought that it was going to be. She wasn't sure what she envisioned.

The younger Lance Sister looked at the older one and she put her hands on her hips.

"So, I liked the fishnets, they suited you," Sara commented. "Did Gwen or Barbara dare you to put that on?"

Laurel frowned, "Honestly, Sara, after three years, that's the first thing that you had to say to me."

There was a long and extremely awkward pause. The two of them stared each other down for a couple of moments. Again, it was more awkward and tense then the two of them looked at each other. Sara stepped back and gave her sister a bit of a soft smile.

"What would you like me to say, Laurel?" Sara asked.

"I don't know, but I thought that if we ever met again it would be more….I don't know," Laurel said. She struggled to find the right words to describe how she felt. "I spent three years thinking that you might have been dead. Thinking that you might have went down on the ship, and….well I was just thinking about if you went out that way. I spent a lot of time, resenting what you did, although I got over what happened."

Laurel realized that she descended into a babbling wreck.

"There were a couple of close calls where I could have been dead, and maybe I should have died," Sara said. "Fate smiled on me, I think. Although, I think that the Sara that you knew is long gone."

"I don't believe that," Laurel muttered. She leaned towards her sister. "I think that you can come home again."

"I really like to believe that," Sara told her sister.

The problem is, no matter how much she would have liked to believe that, she had to accept the fact of the matter and the fact of the matter was that she changed.

"If it wasn't for Nyssa, I might have been dead a couple of times over," Sara admitted.

"Nyssa, she's….."

"Laurel, I'm sure you figured out, somehow, that I'm with the League now, and….it's not the life that I'd ever thought that I'd have," Sara admitted. She placed her hand on Laurel's cheek and brushed her hair away from her eyes. "But now, it's the life that's chosen me."

Laurel didn't know what to think about that. She frowned when she looked into her sister's eyes. These were the same eyes that she stared into countless times before.

"Why?" Laurel asked.

"Why do you do the things that you do?" Sara asked. "Because that's what the heart wants. We can't make decisions beyond that."

Laurel had to admit that her sister had a point. She figured that she should bring up another point.

"Okay, you're alive," Laurel murmured. Sara nodded in confirmation. "What happened to Oliver Queen?"

Sara wondered when that particular question would be brought up. She knew that the elephant in the room would have to be addressed sooner rather than later.

"That's a good question, and I honestly don't know," Sara admitted. "As of a year ago, he was alive."

"You mean that you were with him?" Laurel asked. Sara frowned, she didn't like the accusing tone that her sister gave her. "Sorry."

"We ran into each other, after the ship went down," Sara responded. "This was before I was found by Nyssa and I joined the League. Needless to say, we lost touch when…well a lot of shit went down, let's just say….you're not worried about him."

"As a human being, I'm worried, but I really don't have any high emotional attachment towards him," Laurel said. "It would be nice if his sister or mother had some closure though."

"Yes," Sara agreed. It would be nice, but it wasn't her responsibility to give her that. "But, technically I'm still dead, and you can't tell a soul that you've seen me."

There was a scream coming from Helena Sandsmark. Sara turned over and there was an apologetic looking man who joined her. He looked extremely nervous and he was practically stuttering.

"Sorry, Doctor Sandsmark….we found your daughter's babysitter, she had been stabbed several times, there was blood….I called 911 when I got there," the man said.

Sara looked on in surprise, cupping her hand underneath her chin. She allowed herself to shake her head. Laurel looked surprised.

"They kidnapped Doctor Sandsmark's daughter?" Laurel asked.

"I thought that they were after Doctor Sandsmark," Sara said. She balled her fists up. "But, whoever this guy is who thinks that he's Zeus, he obviously likes his girls a little bit younger."

She thought that if this bastard harmed a single hair on the heads of any of these girls, they would have a problem.

Laurel was a bit terrified at the look of rage that was on her sister's face. Her nerves looked about ready to explode when she looked at Sara. She was tentative when she moved towards Sara.

"Thea must have gotten kidnapped as well, Thea Queen," Laurel said.

Sara looked like she wanted blood. "These bastards need to be pay."

"I agree, let me help you," Laurel informed her. Sara turned around and looked her sister dead on in the eye. "I can help you."

"I won't hold back, if I get my hands on them, especially if they've hurt those girls, any of them," Sara replied. "I've had to do things before that will make you see me in an entirely different light."

Laurel paused and she wondered what Sara was talking about. The implications of the matter really did scare her to be honest.

"You must have been through some amazing trials to become the person that you are," Laurel commented. Her voice was half awed, and half scared.

"You did pretty good out there, I only stepped in when they started overwhelming you," Sara said. "But there's a difference between you and me. I trained to kill, while you trained to defend yourself."

* * *

Alia and Diana crept their way into one of the clubs that was owned by Maxie Zeus. After Laurel's close encounter with the potential demi-God kind, they figured out that entire mess was an absolute set up. The problem was trying to figure out what Zeus's plan was and what he was intending.

"Does he really believe that he's a god?" Spider-Girl asked when he joined the two Amazon Princesses. "Or is he just…..just willing to go along with the ride?"

"I don't know," Alia admitted.

Diana considered for a brief moment that Zeus could have used some kind of human avatar, but this seemed a bit too ambitious for what the King of Gods have become. The last she heard, Zeus was posing as a surfer dude burnout on the west coast, picking up soccer moms and house wives of all sorts.

"I'm pretty sure that he's either playing them, or something like that," Diana added.

The two of them walked around in the room underneath the club. There were many cracked and broken decorations that was store down here.

"Well, it's scary how much he's getting into this role," Spider-Girl. "And wouldn't it be something if some of the Sons of Zeus were really Sons of Zeus?"

"It would be something, because there is a high probability of it being the case," Alia informed Spider-Girl. She opened her mouth in astonishment.

So far, so good, at least her spider sense had not really been triggered. That might be a good sign, but she wondered if her spider sense could detect divine intervention. She really didn't have a full grasp of her power.

"This wall was redone recently," Alia murmured. She pointed it out. "Look at that, the paint looks fresher than the other area."

"So?" Spider-Girl asked.

Alia rapped on the side of the wall and sure enough, it revealed a secret set of stairs. It lead into a secret room.

"Zeus must have one of these underneath each of his clubs," Diana said to Alia. She was visited by another thought. "You don't suppose that they're connected, are they?"

Alia thought there was a pretty good chance that they were connected, at least that's what she assumed. Even though assumptions could be extremely dangerous, but Alia would find out for sure.

There was a crate and Alia broke it open. She revealed a spear that was similar to the one that the Sons of Zeus used.

"And we hit the jackpot," Spider-Girl said.

Alia placed the spear in her hand. She waved it around and blew up a table when she fiddled with the dial.

"Wow, those things pack a plunge," Spider-Girl breathed. She looked astonished and also a bit anxious.

The spear was placed in her hand. She felt like she was using hot fire. She waved the spear around, and looked very foolish. A slight jolt of electricity shot from the spear and connected with the table off to the side.

"Okay, that was okay, but not as spectacular as your little blast of energy," Gwen murmured. "But that might have been the idea."

"I think that the blasts that come from the spears are more potent when you have magical abilities," Alia said. "I'm really not sure what Zeus intended to do, but they're really good weapons in the hands of normal person, but nothing more."

"In the hands of a magical user, they're completely deadly," Diana added.

"Very deadly," Alia confirmed.

Spider-Girl whistled. She honestly couldn't believe this. She knew that they would need to get these weapons out of there.

"So, is that incriminating enough?" she asked. "I mean, these were weapons that were used by the Sons of Zeus."

"I wish they would be, but something tells me that Zeus knew that these could be found," Alia said. She moved over to the next room.

The door swung open and it was an office area. There was a notepad with a flier clipped to it. Alia scooped it up in her hand and frowned when she looked it over. Her curiosity got the better of her, but that was to be expected.

"It's a flier advertising Zeus's new night club opening, where he will have a big show for all of Gotham City," Alia said. "The rich and the famous will all be out there tonight."

"And he leaves this laying around, on his desk, in plain view?" Spider-Girl asked. Alia turned towards her and Gwen shrugged. "I hate to be that person, but doesn't it seem a bit convenient to you that's just laying out there, in full view."

"That might be the idea," Alia muttered.

She was surprised that they didn't run into any Sons of Zeus, but that could be for later. Alia, Diana, and Gwen looked around.

The club was closed off until the public until tonight. Where the rich and famous would attend, likely to be robbed blind by the Sons of Zeus.

"So, what are you going to do?" Gwen asked. She was a tad bit curious at what Alia's intentions are.

"Hmm," Alia muttered.

Gwen hated it when people played the "hmm" game with her. She leaned against the wall, almost casually and frowned.

"Because, no offense, but we're really obviously being lead straight into a trap," Gwen said. Alia blinked at her and Gwen continued. "Which you already knew."

"If you know the trap is coming, then the enemy will be arrogant enough to believe it would work," Diana said. "And it would be more easily turned around on them, and trap them in a bad spot."

Gwen had to admit, she didn't think about things that way. It made sense, in some way, somehow.

"We're going to turn things around on Zeus and cancel his little club opening for tonight," Alia said.

They would also free the hostages. Hera help Zeus if any of those girls would harmed in any way.

* * *

Circe, under the guise of Donna Milton, could feel the dull jackhammer that was Zeus's words burn into the back of her head. She frowned when she heard the words.

"Not a bad representation of Zeus's, you got his pompous attitude down, although you don't have the style quite refined," Circe narrated, after Zeus had concluded giving his speech. "Oh, it's over, well….that's almost a pity?"

Thea looked at this woman like she was absolutely nuts. She spent a lot of time critiquing Zeus's speech patterns and she was riling up the Sons of Zeus. And she honestly thought that she was Circe.

This would be the first time that Thea thought that she was surrounded by some mad men.

"Sorry, I've heard him a lot, give his speeches to the gods, high above Olympus, before I was banned for a matter of unpleasantness," Circe commented.

She honestly couldn't keep herself out of trouble, no matter how hard she tried. The woman's frown deepened when she looked at Thea.

"We need to find a way out of here before….." Thea said. "You….oh….I think that I've got it, but how do I make it to the door?"

"Run really fast?" Circe suggested.

Thea frowned, she was of no help, and thus that left Thea pretty much in a lurch, unable to break free from her bindings.

"So, what do we do now?" one of the sons asked to another.

"We wait, until he gives us more orders," a son commented.

"You know, I think that he's using us to get him his brides…..I wonder if he's the real deal," one of the sons muttered underneath his breath.

"Hey, you don't speak of our great father like that!" another son of Zeus piped up. He got up into the face of the doubter and bared his teeth. "He found us and brought us together!"

The other son looked apologetic, but it was too late. The angry Son of Zeus stabbed him hard and caused him to fall to the ground, blood spurting out of his mouth.

They started to argue with each other, and the crazy son was called out upon his actions.

"Our father won't be pleased!" one of them yelled.

Circe giggled underneath her breath, and looked extremely amused, for a multitude of reasons. Those idiots were finally turning on each other.

"They're going to kill each other," Thea murmured. She was nearly free, but she froze for a moment.

It was like a tennis match, she couldn't really pull herself completely away. Her heart started to hammer against her chest when she leaned back.

"Just watch, the show's going to get really interesting," Circe said.

It was rather jarring to see Circe's playful demeanor buried underneath the persona of a mousy, somewhat professional lawyer. Regardless, the ropes came off and she slipped out of them.

Circe made her way to the door and two of the Sons of Zeus turned around. They grabbed Circe around the arm.

POP!

There was two pigs running around and they looked lost. There were several more pops and there were several more pigs running around. Except for one of the Sons of Zeus, who simply got blasted up in the air and knocked completely unconscious by Circe's attack.

"Well, that's fairly interesting," Circe murmured to herself.

Thea looked at Circe, her mouth hanging open in shock.

"Close your mouth, sweetie, flies will go inside it," Circe said to her in a reprimanding tone.

Thea sputtered and she shook her head. She really couldn't articulate what she wanted to say. She finally spat it out, after some effort.

"You could have done that at any time, couldn't you?" Thea asked.

"Yes," Circe agreed. "Yes, I could have."

Thea once again was caught completely off guard. It took her a couple of moments to find her tongue and she spat out her next statement.

"You made me sweat that out and you made me listen to that entire droning monologue," Thea said.

"I like the spirit within you," Circe said. She smiled when she leaned towards Thea. "But, you need to learn to do things with a bit more flair."

Thea frowned when she looked down. She had another question.

"Why did those guys already get turned into pigs, and he got knocked out?"

"Maybe, there wasn't much that I could do to transfigure him," Circe said. Thea glared at her and it made Circe realize that the girl wanted a serious answer. "Or, maybe that Son of Zeus was an actual Son of Zeus."

Thea was surprised, and she realized how much sense that made.

* * *

Alia walked into a night club and straight into a trap. This was one of those good news/bad news situations. She spent a good amount of time trying to break it down in her mind.

The good news was, as far as she could see it, was that they knew it was a trap. There was a pretty good chance that the trap could be turned around on the attacker. But, there was a little problem.

The bad news was, as far as she could tell, she only could begin to figure out what the trap was. She really had no idea what exactly she was walking into.

"Well, the good news, is that my Spider Sense hasn't been set off," Gwen commented to her.

"You're really going to have to come up with a better name than that," Alia muttered.

Gwen frowned and she nodded. She really came to that conclusion as well, but she couldn't for the life of her think. Plus it was fitting that she called it her spider sense. At least as far as she was concerned.

"I'm going to but….oh, this looks really gawdy," Gwen groaned.

She blinked when she looked around. The decorations looked a little bit over the top and not tasteful at all.

"I know this is Gotham City, but did you really have to go this over the top?" Gwen asked.

Diana could hardly tear her eyes away from the spectacle that was in front of her. Awful didn't even begin to describe what she saw. Stomach wrenching was also a good description of what was in front of her.

"That bad?" Alia asked her.

"That bad," Diana confirmed. She honestly couldn't believe what she saw. "So, do you think that the hostages are around here somewhere?"

"It's possible," Alia commented. She didn't know where. "Just look for a secret entrance or something."

"Zeus really would like to keep a similar theme of her club," Spider-Girl said. She stopped and there was a chill going down her spine. "And my spider sense is….."

Diana and Alia used their keen reflexes to throw themselves out of the way and just in the nick of time, because the entrance blew open. Several darts shot out, that looked like they belonged in more of an Egyptian pyramid.

The floor beneath them cracked. Gwen quickly webbed onto the ceiling and Alia and Diana floated above the ground. There were spikes in the ground beneath them.

Alia waved her hand and it caused the spikes to melt and allow them to drop down to the ground.

"Okay, you disabled the pit of danger," Gwen muttered. Alia and Diana nodded. "Then why is my spider sense still playing the bongo drums in my head?"

The door blasted open and a large imposing young man stepped out. His hands looked like they were on fire.

"Welcome Hera!" Zeus boomed. "I'm sorry that I cannot join you just yet, but….I need to test your abilities before I see if you are truly the one."

"Is he talking to you, or talking to me?" Alia asked.

Diana shrugged her shoulders.

"Prometheus, give them a suitable reception!" Zeus bellowed at the top of his lungs.

"And I wonder what his power is," Gwen said. She saw him cause a large fireball to raise from his hand. "Oh of course, just of course….and the two of you look surprisingly relaxed."

The Son of Zeus sent a huge fireball at Diana, who blocked it with her bracelets. She pushed back through the fire and punched at him.

"We're resistant to fire," Alia said. Several miniature fireballs shot through Alia, who ran through the fire.

"Well, unlike you, I'm kind of flammable," Gwen breathed.

"He has super strength as well," Diana grumbled. She locked hands with his white hot knuckles and he pushed back and forth.

Alia rushed over and tried to even the odds. She tipped the scale a little bit, and the mutant was sent flying back into the wall.

Diana tried to nail him, but he ducked out of the way.

"Super speed as well, he does have a lot of tricks," Alia said.

Alia and Diana used their team work to box him in. The Son of Zeus whirled his hands and caused fireballs to fly. They dodged them.

"Draw his fire, I've got a plan!" Alia yelled to Diana.

"Draw his fire, that shouldn't be a problem," Diana muttered.

Diana rushed over and took pot shots at him with a crossbow and arrows that she did. The arrows bounced off his skin. He didn't get hurt, but he did get pissed off and his attention diverted towards Diana instead of Alia.

The Son of Zeus bellowed at the top of his lungs, "YOU CANNOT HOPE TO STOP ME! The meteors that fell from the sky unlocked my powers and caused me to become a god….."

"The thing is, you really aren't," Diana said.

She engaged against her enemy in a rough battle. The two of them threw down against each other. Diana could feel his punches, but the good news was that he could feel hers. The better training and conditioning of the Amazon Princess won out.

She drove Prometheus down onto his knees with a well placed hammer blow to the top of the head.

Alia had two tanks levitated in the air and she turned to Gwen, while the self-proclaimed Son of Zeus was busy throwing down with Diana in a brawl.

"Gwen, web line, now!" Alia yelled.

Gwen shot the web line and Alia tugged one way, where Gwen tugged the over way. Liquid nitrogen exploded and caused Prometheus to drop to his knees, frozen completely.

"Excellent, Hera, you have done well, you could be the one that could help me return the Gods to prominence!" Zeus's voice bellowed.

"You must be completely out of your mind," Alia responded. "You're pretty deluded if you think!"

"YOU DARE!"

"I've got it," Barbara said, speaking in Alia's ear directly. "The hostages weren't there, but we're pretty close. The Plaza across the street, Maxie rented the entire thing out."

Alia smiled, it was time to unmask the pretender. Diana, Gwen, and Alia left, leaving Zeus to rant to himself. He was blissfully unaware they had left.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	22. Godfall

**Chapter Twenty-One: Godfall. **

* * *

Maxmillian Zeus stepped to the top floor of a Plaza. He was dressed to the nines, wearing the very familiar garb of the Greek God known as Zeus. His aide/personal assistant stood right next to him and he was growing rapidly uncomfortable. His boss always had a lot of oddities to him, that was just what came with the territory. However, as of late, he had grown from kind of odd, to a full blown eccentric and out of his mind.

"Everything is perfect," Zeus murmured.

His personal assistant drew in a deep breath and decided that the next few words should be chosen extremely carefully, "Are you certain that you are alright? You have been working hard and well….I think that I'm concerned that you've been burning the candle at both ends a little too hard. Maybe you should….."

"I am fine, but thank you," Zeus commented. "You have been a great help, but now I know my purpose in life. I have risen myself above all of Gotham City."

The personal assistant wondered if it was too late to go back to barber school. He stepped back and allowed his boss room to breathe, mostly because he could have used the room to breathe himself.

The almighty Zeus stood up straight and prepared to issue his grand proclamation to the people of Gotham City. He cleared his throat when he prepared to address his subjects. The almighty one rose himself up to his full height.

"You have looked upon me as some kind of hoax, some kind of man of questionable sanity!" Zeus bellowed from high above the Plaza. There were many people looking up at him. Some in fear and others in disgust, but he had most certainly grabbed the attention of the vast majority of the people in Gotham City. "But, rest assure, I am the real deal, and you will understand that while Gotham City is flawed to some, it is a diamond in the rough for others!"

Zeus started to pace back and forth, looking like a caged animal. He drew in his breath and continued his grand proclamation as only someone of his caliber could manage.

"Gotham City is in reality a new age of Olympus and it will be rebuilt once I have acquired my harem of goddesses. Soon, Hera will be by my side, as it should be."

The sound of sirens could be heard. The GCPD was turning up.

"And the so called long arm of the law decides to intervene with my goals," Zeus said. "They will learn that in Gotham City, Zeus rules over all!"

His aide slowly backed off. He really didn't want any part of the growing madness that his employer was doing and he was losing his mind more and more.

Zeus lifted one of the gauntlets and he activated a crude cannon that he placed it. It fired a lightning bolt down into the midst of Gotham City and it sent the GCPD scattering.

A sonic pulse erupted off to the side. Zeus staggered back, but his armor protected him from the attack. The cannon on the other hand, wasn't so lucky when it got absolutely obliterated in the attack.

"You dare?"

Sara and Laurel dropped down side by side with each other. Both of the girls looked determined.

"The hostages, Zeus," Sara said. "Tell us where they were, now!"

"You harlots don't understand who rules Olympus!" Zeus yelled.

He pulled out a huge spear and he pointed. A large crack of lightning fired out of the spear and threatened to take out both women. Both women dodged the attack. Sara and Laurel came on either side of Zeus.

He shot a bolt of lightning once again and it caused them to stagger back.

Laurel opened her mouth and there was a loud sonic pulse that came out of it. Zeus was only mildly annoyed when that attack worked.

"Your siren song will not work on me, Aphrodite," Zeus said. He lifted his hand high into the air and prepared to bring down the lightning once again.

Sara calculated what she needed to do, and she charged her enemy. She tried to nail him with a palm strike, but a field appeared around him.

"We got to get that armor off of him!" Sara yelled.

The only problem was that the foundation they were standing on right now was not very sturdy. In fact, it was starting to crack underneath their feet and it collapsed.

Sara tried to grab onto Laurel and prevent her from falling. The only problem was that in the process, the foundation crumbled and it sent both women hurtling off of the side of the building to some kind of doom.

Laurel thought that her entire life flashed before her eyes now. She felt that she was going to have some heart stopping fall with a sudden impact. She wasn't sure how her life would end, but she was pretty sure it would be nothing like this.

A trio of web lines caught her and prevented her from falling completely to her doom. It did a wonderful job in slowing her descent before she smashed into the ground and made a very nasty mess.

Sara found herself in Alia's arms, who was hovering over the Gotham City streets.

"Good, I didn't want to die again," Sara muttered dryly.

"Well, I think that's something that we all would have liked to avoid," Alia said.

Gwen helped Laurel up.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Laurel nodded, and she held her hands around Gwen's waist with a staggering hand. She shook her head. "Yeah, I'm….I'm fine."

"Are you?" Gwen asked. "Good….that's the first time I caught a body falling. I was afraid that I could have snapped your neck."

Laurel was glad that she didn't as well. Never the less they were far away from the tower.

"The hostages are inside, Diana is looking for them, but she could use backup…just in case," Gwen said. "We should worry about them, and Alia is going to worry about Zeus."

Laurel nodded in response. She figured that might as well have been a good idea. Sara was down on the ground before them.

"Let's do this," Sara informed them.

Alia made her way to the side of the slightly damaged Plaza. She stood across from Zeus. Alia studied the armor and found a weakness.

"You will bow before me, Hera!" Zeus bellowed.

"The real Hera wouldn't bow before you," Alia responded. She launched a dagger at him and caused the armor to be sliced off of his body.

Zeus howled in agony. He was screaming, but there were no words that came out. He was completely and utterly incensed with what happened and not in the best of moods.

"The real Hera wouldn't bow before you, and neither will I!" Alia shouted.

Zeus lifted up his lightning spear and fired another blast. The blast came out and had the bonus of frying his arm as well. He screamed in agony.

Alia heard the screams of people beneath her. A part of the building was about to fall on some unsuspecting bystanders. She quickly rushed over to secure and fix the building.

Zeus's right arm was completely charred beyond all recognition. That did not stop him from continuing to move forward, with determination dancing in his eyes. He lifted up his spear with a shaky arm and aimed it towards Alia.

"If you won't rule beside me, then you will be destroyed at the feet of ZEUS!"

He tried to blast her again when she was tending at the hostages. Unfortunately for Maxie, the spear overloaded and caused him to fly over the side of the building.

Alia turned around just in time to see him plummet to his demise. She rushed over and jumped over the building to stop him from hitting the ground, but it was too late.

The burned and charred form of Maxie Zeus was down on the ground. His body still smoked.

Alia summoned the lightning spear that he was using. The last thing she wanted to do was have this fall into even worse hands, or worse, even more competent hands, than Zeus.

* * *

Around the same time that fight was going, Diana slipped into the building. She had one thing on her mind and that was liberating the hostages. She had no idea what to expect, and she figured given her previous encounters with the Sons of Zeus, she would have to expect anything.

There was a loud oink and a pig scurried past Diana on the ground. Diana frowned when she saw it pass by her feet.

Should she have expected that? Diana frowned.

The pig brushed past her again and it seemed to be chasing itself, or at least chasing its tail. It rammed itself into the door. It bounced off of the door with a sickening velocity.

Perhaps Diana was imagining things, but she had a feeling that this creature wanted her to follow it into the next room.

Casually, Diana opened the door. She opened the door and spotted a rather bored looking Circe. Circe was tapping her foot on the ground.

"Where are the hostages?" Diana demanded.

"Oh, you mean Cassandra, Thea, and the rest of them?" Circe asked. "I had them sent home, because I figured that it would be unwise for them to be around….and you can't say that I was wrong, can you?"

Diana looked at Circe and she folded her arms, staring down the goddess. Circe always had some kind of game.

"What was your involvement in this?" Diana asked.

Circe casually did her nails. She wondered how long she could get away with this before Diana really lost her patience with her. The goddess of mischief and magic hummed underneath her breath.

Finally, after about a minute, which she was sure seemed like longer to the rather impatience princess, Circe piped up.

"Would you believe that Zeus kidnapped me when I was in my civilian identity?" Circe asked her. Diana frowned and she nodded. She would believe that, honestly she would. "I know, that's a real shock, but he thought that I was Circe. And, wouldn't you believe it, he was right. It just shows that the blind squirrel finds the nut every so often."

Circe snapped her fingers.

"What, I'm curious is how some rather Amazonian looking artifacts that enhanced the limited abilities of these Sons of Zeus ended up on the mainland," Circe said. "Is their problems in Paradise that I'm not aware of?"

Diana didn't say a word. It was obvious that she was thinking along the same lines as Circe was, but she wasn't about to give this witch any satisfaction of knowing that she had been gotten to in any way whatsoever.

"And she gives me the silent treatment, that's about right," Circe commented. She looked at Diana in mock thought.

The door opened up and Alia entered the room.

"Is everything alright?" Alia asked. "All of the hostages….."

"I sent them home, they were happily reunited with their families," Circe said. Alia raised her eyebrow and Circe smiled. "And you can easily verify that and prove whether I'm a liar or telling the truth. But why would I lie to you about something like this?"

Call Alia crazy, but she assumed that Circe was telling her the truth.

"And to be frank, being kidnapped was an interesting experience, although one that I wouldn't want to repeat anytime soon, especially with someone who gave a monologue like Maxie did," Circe said. She shuddered after a moment. "Those monologues, they're absolute murder, you know that, don't you?"

"Yes, he never did shut up," Alia agreed.

"So, what happened to him?" Circe asked.

Alia sighed and she spoke calmly, "Well, Zeus tried to attack me with the lightning spear without his armor and he burned his arm."

"Well, he is a bit of an idiot then, isn't he?" Circe asked. Alia nodded. She realized something, "And there's more, isn't there?"

Alia hitched in a deep breath. She shook her head for a moment.

"He tried to blast me a second time," Alia said.

"Even after burning his arm?" Circe asked. Even Diana, who rarely agreed with Circe, looked like she thought that Zeus had taken complete and utter leave of what passed for his senses. "He must have lost his mind."

"Well, he did, but he isn't around anymore," Alia said. Diana blinked and she looked towards her sister.

Circe cut off Diana before she could say anything, "So the bastard offed himself? Good riddance say, it couldn't have happened to a better sociopath."

"He was mentally ill," Alia offered, but even she thought that the argument was extremely flimsy at best. At least she made a good effort to try and argue for Zeus.

Circe placed her hand on Alia's shoulder. It was a surprisingly calming presence, even though Diana grew rather rigid when she saw this.

"He put countless lives in danger, killed many people, and intended to rape children because of a delusional they had the spirits of goddesses trapped inside them," Circe said. "He goes beyond being mentally disturbed. It is only a good dose of karma where he finally offed himself, and I think that very few would shed a tear for him. He honestly believed that he was Zeus and tried to wield the power….speaking of which, you have his armor and his spear, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," Alia confirmed.

"Keep it close to you," Circe said. "If it falls into the wrong hands, or worse, into competent hands, they could cause far more problems than Zeus ever hoped to."

Alia nodded, she would keep an extremely close watch on the armor.

"Everything is fine, except for the fact your sister still is treating me like I turned her into a pig," Circe said.

Diana finally broke her long bout of silence, "You did turn me into a pig! A boar even!"

Circe didn't really look all that bothered by an Amazon Princess towering over her, looking extremely angry, "That was to go with your boorish personality, honey."

It was now that Laurel, Sara, and Gwen turned up. Alia turned to them, not wanting to be around when Diana was about ready to snap about what Circe was going to do.

"Hostages are fine, but Gwen, could you do me a favor and check up on them?" Alia asked.

"Okay, I'll do it," Gwen answered.

"I'll come with," Sara said. Gwen raised her eyebrow. "Just in case there were any more Sons of Zeus around."

Sara also didn't think that it would hurt to be around Gwen when she was wearing that costume. She grew up nicely and filled out the costume even more nicely as far as she was concerned. Regardless, she watched her leave.

"One more word with you, Circe….Diana, why don't you go with them?" Alia asked.

Diana looked at her sister, "Are you sure….?"

"Positive," Alia said. She cupped her sister's face and kissed her. Laurel also decided to join Diana.

There were a couple of moments of pause while they waited for Diana to leave. Circe turned around and faced Alia, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"The book you gave my mother," Alia said.

"So, you figured it out, well done," Circe said. "Did your mother ever remember what spell she used?"

"No, but you did give it to her," Alia said.

"Careful, you might develop a fixation on me like your older sister did," Circe warned her. She could see Alia's gaze burn into her. "But for the record, I did give Lily the book. How she chose to use it was her business. If I know anything about her mother she can be creative and I'm really at a loss to figure out what she did and how she did it."

Alia was afraid of that. It looked like she was back at square one and that was not what she wanted to be.

"I will do what I can to help return your mother back to the realm of the living," Circe said. "I still owe you a debt and while this can't completely fulfill it, it should go a long way of helping me buy some credit."

"So, what did I do for you to be in my debt?" Alia asked.

"Much, a lot of which hasn't happened yet," Circe admitted.

* * *

Laurel returned to her apartment and sat down. The moment she flipped on the news, there was a report about the apparent suicide of one Maxie Zeus. It was far more complicated than that, but he essentially killed himself in an attempt to kill Alia. So the news report got it pretty right.

She looked at her arm. It was a bit scratched up, but overall, there was really nothing, at least nothing too wrong.

"It looks like I didn't get to cut off either of his heads. A pity."

Laurel whipped around and saw Sara casually reclining against the wall, dressed in her street clothes. It reminded her of a different time, and Laurel struggled to remember that this Sara wasn't the same one that got on that ship.

"How did you get inside?" Laurel asked.

Sara gave a casual little shrug and the merest shadow of a smile, "Ninja, remember."

"Of course," Laurel said.

"I actually stopped by to say goodbye," Sara said. She stepped across the room with Laurel getting up. "With the kind of work that I'm in, I don't know when I'll be back, if I ever be back."

"This is the life that you chose," Laurel muttered. She paused and corrected herself. "Actually, it was the life that chose you."

"Now, you're getting the message," Sara said. She stepped closer to Laurel and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Don't tell our father that you ever saw me….one day I might have to cross that bridge."

"He did take it hard when you died," Laurel said.

"To be fair, I took it hard when I died as well," Sara said. Laurel gave her an extremely long look. "And I know that he did, but I'm not really the same person that I was when I got on that boat. And I'm not sure if I'd get along with the person I was when I got onto that boat. What I went through changes a person at more of a skin deep level."

Laurel figured that she would address the large elephant in the room. She sighed.

"Why did you do it?" Laurel asked.

"I figured that I could finally beat you at something, if I left with Oliver," Sara said. "I know, it's stupid, and not because it blew up in my face. And yet, I wonder what my life would have been if I didn't make that stupid mistake."

Laurel tightened her hug around Sara.

"I guess we all make stupid mistakes, and…..well I made a few," she admitted. She leaned forward and brushed her sister's hair. "We can move on with our lives, become extremely….well we can be better off."

Sara thought about what she was going to say next. She had a few ideas as it turned out.

"Keep on with the path that you're going, Laurel, you could be a shining force of light if you have the ability to apply yourself," Sara said. She looked into her sister's eye. "And let's face it, that leather and those fishnets, it makes me want to do really taboo and naughty things to you."

"But, you're my sister!" Laurel exclaimed.

She considered Sara, she really became beautiful though and Laurel had to admit, she thought about her sister. She caught herself looking at Sara's perfect ass earlier and she felt a little ashamed for thinking what it would be like to bend her sister over the wall and punish her for running off with her ex-boyfriend and worrying her sick for three years.

"Barbara and Gwen bet me that I wouldn't wear the fishnets out in the field," Laurel added. "Guess that I showed them that I would."

"You really did, didn't you?" Sara asked.

The two of them grew rather close. There was a knock on the door.

Sara made her way into the shadows, and allowed Laurel to go off to answer the door. The door opened and Alia waited on the other side of the door.

"So did the two of you kiss and make up?" Alia asked them.

"Not in the literal sense, no," Sara commented. She sounded rather sad.

"A pity," Alia said. "That's the best way to strengthen sisterly bonds."

She pulled Laurel in and casually ran her hand over the girl's arm, fixing it. She felt really good when Alia dragged her fingers over the arm.

"You did good, but you can be better, if you'd like, I can train you," Alia whispered in her ear. She leaned forward and nipped it slightly.

"I'd like that, a lot," Laurel breathed. She could feel Alia start kissing up her bruised arm.

"That looks nasty, maybe I can kiss it and make it feel better?" Alia suggested.

Alia kissed her on the side of her neck, and started to kiss down her arm again. Laurel felt a rush going through her body and she also felt a pair of hands strip off her clothes.

"What are you doing?" Laurel managed.

"Shh, it's been a long night, this is the best way to unwind," Alia said. She grabbed a handful of Laurel's hair and stuck her tongue deep into Laurel's mouth.

Laurel accepted her tongue, with a hungry passion and fury. Their two tongues danced together, trying to become extremely dominant.

Sara had already been stripped of her body and Laurel looked at her sister's muscular, naked, and beautiful body. Laurel was pushed over into her sister's grasp.

"Finally, I have you," Sara said. "Don't worry, sis, I won't hurt you….much."

Her hands ran all over Laurel's body when she was kissed. Laurel returned the kiss a bit reluctantly, at least at first, but the more her sister's tongue drove into her mouth, the more pleasure she felt.

* * *

The three women rested on the bed, absolutely spent from their efforts. Little did they know that they were being closely watched.

A dark haired woman pushed her hand down her panties and felt her panties, they were completely sticky. She showed up to visit Laurel, but unfortunately, or fortunately, she ran into Laurel involved in a threesome with three women.

Thea Queen was shocked and she couldn't pull herself away. She staggered back when the show finally ended. Her fingers were completely sticky when she finally removed them from them. She brought them up to her lips and tasted herself.

Her nipples hardened against her shirt.

"You do realize that now you've seen that, we can't let you leave."

Thea recognized that voice and she was shocked. It couldn't be!

**To Be Continued. **


	23. Players and Pawns

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Players and Pawns. **

* * *

A young dark haired man was pretty angry at the moment. How dare she make such a mockery out of him? He wasn't in the best of moods right now and he was going to be the type of person who would take it out on any innocent person who dared get in his way.

The poor servant who had come to him was sent running and crying. Shinobi Shaw didn't care. These servants were expendable; they would just find another one that would be replaced. The young man crossed his arms and fumed to himself.

"She shouldn't have done that, no one breaks up with me," Shinobi whispered. His voice grew extremely raw and rather pained. "NO ONE BREAKS UP WITH ME!"

The pop star known as Alison Blaire had broken up with him. They had gone out on a few dates, and Shinobi showed her some of the fancier things in life. However, she called him and told him that she would like to focus on her career.

Well, if Shinobi had his way, she wouldn't have much of a career to focus on. She was an ungrateful bitch.

"I'm rich, I'm powerful, and good looking, most women should be honored to be on my arm," Shinobi muttered. "I called her up twelve times a day, to make sure everything was okay. I had her followed, watched at all times. I cared, and she talks about wanting to focus on her career and needing space."

He smashed his hand down on the table. The only thing that little escapade resulted in was an uncomfortable stabbing pain going right through his hand. Shinobi grimaced, but recovered fairly quickly.

The door opened and Shinobi popped up, wondering who dared enter his room without his express permission.

The young Shaw heir backed off for a minute when he realized that his father, Sebastian Shaw, the Black King of the Hellfire Club, showed up, "We need to have a talk."

"You're here, I'm here, so talk," Shinobi said. He added as an afterthought, "What did I do to upset you now, sir?"

Shaw crossed the room and got right in his son's face. The two men were up close and personal and Shinobi found himself a bit irritated that his father was in his personal space. Their noses almost touched.

"I'll tell you what to do, your outburst are drawing undue attention to yourself," Sebastian said in a quite nasty tone of voice. "You keep acting like you were the wronged person in all of these breakups, but yet, you have no one to blame, but yourself when they keep going in the wrong direction, when they all keep going south."

Shinobi had to sit there and take everything that his father was saying. His father was getting up in his face and Shinobi swallowed when he tried to protest everything that was being said. It turned out though that his father was far from done.

"You're to leave it be, or there will be serious consequences," Shaw informed him. "There is a reason why you have been denied inclusion to the Hellfire Club."

"You voted me down, I'm worthy," Shinobi said.

Shinobi tried to gain some steam and show some backbone. His father only responded with a cold and extremely loud laugh. It chilled Shinobi to the bones and made him become extremely nervous.

"It's not my final call, the Black Queen agreed that you wouldn't serve our agenda that well," Shaw commented. "By all means, take up your grievances with her, but be warned, the Black Queen doesn't take trivialities that well."

Shinobi leaned back and shook his head.

"Am I done being lectured, for now?" he asked. His tone was almost bored and it was extremely agitated.

Shaw considered his son and nodded, before he stepped back, "I'm done talking to you for now, but remember, if you ever hope to be in the club, curb your attitudes and be more subtle with your obsessions."

With that cutting bit of criticism out of the saw, Shaw left Shinobi in his wake and the young man grumbling.

There was someone else who joined him in the room, when Shinobi started up his grumbling.

"Perhaps your way of doing thing is outdated and obsolete, perhaps someone else should step up and bring the Hellfire Club into the 21st century, instead of being the relic of the 19th century," Shinobi said.

A blonde woman with bright blue eyes showed up. She regarded Shinobi with interest, or at least she feigned interest.

"I couldn't agree more," she told him. "The old guard is desperately keeping the younger generation back. My father refuses to allow me to take part of the club, he sees me as arrogant, spoiled, and unable to work hard enough to set the standards that the Hellfire Club has set."

She placed her hands on the back of the chair and leaned forward to whisper in Shinobi's ear.

"Well, I'm willing to work hard enough to oust those old fossils from the club," she commented.

"Regan, my dear, I believe we might be able to work together for mutual goals," Shinobi said.

If nothing else, she would make the perfect pet when this is over.

He picked up the newspaper and there were two items of interest that caught his attention. The news that the Evans heiress was going to make her glorious return was interesting. Especially given that she was much older than he had assumed.

The next one was Alison Blaire would be having an autograph signing to hype up her first tour. Shinobi was going to have to call in a favor.

She was going to learn the hard way that no one broke up with Shinobi Shaw. And by no one, he meant no one.

* * *

In a top secret government facility at a classified location, a red haired woman dressed in a skintight black bodysuit walked with a purpose down the hallway.

The agent had a meeting with Miranda Waller, the daughter of Amanda Waller and some Samuel L. Jackson lookalike where an eyepatch. It was a rather vital mission that she was on and the information would need to be revealed sooner rather than later.

"Agent Tess Mercer?" a well-built black woman in a skintight bodysuit that emphasized her curves, her generous bust, and her tight ass.

"Yes," Tess responded.

"Welcome back," Miranda Waller said. She led Tess down the hallway and offered for her to take a seat. "Some interesting news has reached our organization, but first, how did your investigation regarding the Sons of Zeus have gone?"

Tess sighed and took a long drink before she launched into her report, "Maxie's psychosis might have been manipulated due to a meteor mutant. And one or more of the Sons of Zeus might actually have been Sons of Zeus."

"Imagine that," Tess murmured. She tapped her finger on the desk. "And are the rumors of Zeus's demise true?"

"Yes," Miranda agreed. "He suffered quite the death, hoisted up on his own petard before he was sent crashing down to Earth. It was a brutal sight to see."

"I'm sure that it was," Tess said. "Some of his sons are still out there, aren't there?"

"Yes," Miranda confirmed. "But, without leadership, I'm certain that they will not pose much of a threat. There's something else I need to talk to you about. The prodigal daughter has returned, that being Alexandra Audrey Potter, or as she's referred to now, Alia Evans."

"I was under the impression that she was much younger than she was," Tess commented.

"Well, circumstances allowed her to age up rather quickly," Miranda informed her agent. Tess looked fairly thoughtful and nodded in response. That did make a lot of sense to be honest. "And I really do feel glad that I didn't have to directly liaison with the British Magical Government, before Amelia Bones took it over and folded it into the Department of Meta Human Affairs."

Tess heard horror stories about that government and she would have to agree that her boss dodged a rather prominent bullet.

"So what do you want me to do?" Tess asked her.

"Find out where she's been, and find out why a girl that should be about seven or eight years old, has aged to nineteen years old so quickly," Miranda informed her. "She could be a valuable ally to this organization, or a headache waiting to happen."

Tess nodded. She looked at the pictures of the young girl, who wasn't such a young girl anymore. She had turned into a beautiful young woman and Tess would have to admit that she looked quite easy and extremely alluring on the eyes.

"You don't have a problem with this mission," Miranda said.

"Given my other assignments, this should be one of the easier ones that I've had," Tess commented in a light tone of voice. That got her a cross look from her superior.

"I wouldn't understand Miss Evans, she does have some powerful people looking out for her, but I need to know exactly how powerful and what she's capable of," Miranda said. "Magic is only a small part of who she is."

Tess nodded once again. She thought that made a lot of sense and she wasn't going to keep her eyes off of Alia. She knew that it would be a severe folly to underestimate the likes of her.

Miranda took a long drink of coffee, "So, is there anything at LuthorCorp that I should be concerned about?"

Tess knew that was coming and she prepared for her report from there, and she figured that she would give her observations on the wrap up of the Sons of Zeus. Along with the armor and the spear that mysteriously vanished. Perhaps she was a bit paranoid, but armor and a spear did not grow legs and walk off.

* * *

Thea moved from standing in the doorway, watching the spectacle, in shock, to sitting in a chair, her mouth hanging open, and thinking about the spectacle in shock. She obviously wasn't going to leave, because she had about a million and one questions.

The biggest question that haunted her was where to start?

The girls had finished getting dressed. Laurel walked over and gently placed her hand on Thea's shoulder. That caused the brunette girl to stare at the blonde and her heart to start racing, skipping at least three or four different beats.

"Listen, Thea, if I knew that you would have been stopping by, I wouldn't have….."

"Been fucking your supposedly dead sister and some other girl?" Thea asked. She caught a look at the other girl and she gave a startled yelp. "You're Alia Evans!"

"Why, yes, yes, I am," Alia said. She was a bit astonished to learn that she knew this, because as far as she figured, the Queens and the Evans family weren't exactly very close. Perhaps she had been mistaken though. She honestly didn't know. "I didn't know that our families….."

"We might not have been directly working together, but we ran around in the same circles," Thea commented. "Well my parents did, I was too young, but they mentioned your grandparents, and your mother as well. My mother spoke rather highly of yours, and….well Herb and Audrey were powerhouses for a while, until they suffered a mysterious death."

Alia knew that there was nothing really that mysterious about the death of her grandparents, but she allowed Thea to rattle on about what Thea rattled on about.

"Your father's name was pronounced like the plant, not the person?" Laurel asked. "Your family has an interesting theme going on."

Thea wasn't deterred for long. Her eyes looked at Sara.

"You were the one who saved me on the train, weren't you?" Thea asked. "I thought that you looked familiar, but I kind of passed out before I could find out for sure. So I chalked it up as a concussion."

Sara smiled, she really hoped that Thea didn't recognize her. Of course, now that the cat was out of the bag, because Thea recognized her in a rather more intimate and close knit setting. Now she had to figure out what she wanted to do.

"So, you were supposed to be dead, weren't you?" Thea asked.

"So everyone keeps informing me, but I got better, even if it was a long road for me to get better, "Sara said.

She sighed and took a moment to collect her thoughts. Sara didn't think that she was the type of person who had the patience to tell extremely long stories. In another time, she might have been able to, but not this time.

"To make a long story short, the ship went down, I was picked up by some obsessive nutjob, Oliver eventually made it to the ship, another guy got injected with a drug that made him delusional, and I went under the water, again," Sara said. "For the longest time, I had a really crippling phobia of deep bodies of water, and given that I almost drowned once and really did drown a second time, do you really blame me?"

Thea couldn't blame her.

"Wait, Oliver survived….Ollie he…." Thea managed.

Sara reached forward and placed her hand on Thea's.

"As of a bit over a year ago, I saw him, but where he went or where he is, I don't even know," Sara commented. "He wasn't high priority for me. I was found by a woman and brought before Ra's Al Ghul where I was resurrected through a mystical pit."

Alia blinked. She had heard of such a pit before and it was remarkable that Sara survived with her sanity intact. The pit could revive a body that was still warm, even though technically dead. Granted, there could be severe consequences, but it looked like Sara escaped most of them.

"As for Oliver, I don't know, I went down when Slade and Oliver was fighting," Sara said. Thea blinked. "Slade was the man who was injected with the drug, that caused him to be delusional. Of course, the fact that a woman that he loved died didn't really help with his psychosis any."

"And you were found by this woman, she was the same one that was on the train with you, wasn't she?" Thea inquired.

"Yes, her name is Nyssa, we entered a relationship some time later," Sara said.

"I knew that you were hitting on me!" Thea exclaimed.

"But you were too young other than some harmless flirting, I always knew that I was bisexual," Sara said. "If you were a bit older, I wouldn't have went after the wrong Queen. Then again, perhaps it's a good idea that I did, because otherwise we wouldn't be here having this conversation, now would we?"

Thea nodded, her mouth dry. She was handed a glass of water which she accepted and she drank that down.

"So after the accident….."

"It wasn't an accident," Sara said. "I think that the ship was sabotaged."

"But by who?" Thea asked. "And why?"

"I don't know," Sara admitted. She had her suspicions, but she couldn't really prove them. And she had far more pressing matters to do, then to dig up the past. "I've got to go to meet Nyssa, right now."

"So this Nyssa, she's your girlfriend?" Thea asked.

"Yes, and we have a fairly open relationship to include other women," Sara informed Thea. "She wants to include her younger sister, but she's too tied up on brooding men in dark leather, who dress up young boys in neon green booty shoots."

Laurel laughed. She hated to say that, but the way Sara phrased it made Batman sound a lot worse than he really was. Granted, he could be a bit obsessive, but he did have his demons like everyone else.

"You can't tell anyone anything," Sara continued.

"You have to tell your parents….I mean….they divorced because they thought that you were dead," Thea said.

"I thought that's because Dad thought Mom was cheating on him, and Oliver was the least likely suspect," Sara said.

It was a good thing that Laurel picked now not to drink, because she would have choked on her drink. Thea on the other hand, spat out the water that she was drinking all over Alia. Which gave her white t-shirt a nice transparent effect, that Thea couldn't help but stare at.

"I'm not sure if it's true, I just overheard them arguing about something, and I wasn't sure if that was Dad being paranoid or what," Sara commented. She turned towards Laurel. "And for the record, I'm really sorry about what I did….even though I'm sure that Ollie was cheating on us both….likely with someone. Might not have even been our mother."

Sara paused and turned to Thea.

"Look, I'm sorry that you had to hear that about Ollie….."

"No," Thea said, shaking her head. "I'm fully aware that my brother slept with pretty much everything in a skirt that would allow him to. I wasn't that naïve. I guess he coped with being a rich kid in his own way, just like I did….."

Laurel cast her a disapproving look. She knew what Thea had a tendency to get up to, when she was trying to spite her mother.

"You really need to clean yourself up, Thea," Laurel said.

"I can teach you the discipline to do that," Sara said. "Are you still into archery?"

"Yes, a little bit," Thea admitted. "But I dropped it when Oliver died and I moved onto….well I moved onto other things. Which ended up getting my credit cards cut off.

"I can also talk to Rose and get you a scholarship to the Shining Light Academy," Alia said. That caused Thea to blink.

"Are you sure that I'm qualified?" Thea asked.

"Yes, and since Sara might be busy, I'll be training you," Alia said. That caused Thea to blink.

"So, who trained you?" Thea asked.

"Artemis, my mother, and my sister," Alia commented.

"You mean, the goddess?" Thea asked.

"No, the Amazon, although I do know the goddess," Alia said. She sounded so nonchalant when she said that, that Thea just raised her eyebrow. "And my sister, Diana, she was named after Artemis, although her name is the Roman version."

"That name must be popular," Thea said. "At least more popular than I thought. I had a friend named Artemis, she was into archery as well, although she moved to Gotham City."

Arrangements had to be made, but Alia was sure that they could work something out.

* * *

Kara was glad that her cousin was more subdued than the other girls that she had with her. Kara and Claire joined Amanda and Emily, and Claire's friend, Lana, who was a feisty redhead in her own right. They made the trip up to Metropolis, to go to the contract assignment of one Alison Blaire, who was about ready to embark on her first tour.

At first, Kara was glad that Mary tagged along, because she could use the backup if the twins got out of control. Although she was kind of regretting being glad that Mary tagged along, because she was about was wild as the twins.

"I can't believe it, we're going to meet Alison Blaire, she's so amazing!" Mary yelled.

"I know, she's pretty cool, I can't wait for her new CD to come out," Lana said in an excited voice.

"Oh, I hope that we can get it," Amanda said. Emily nodded right by her side in a feverish and extremely excited manner.

"Oh, I'm sure that we can get it, I mean we've been good, most of the time," Emily said. "Me more than you."

Lana snickered when Amanda folded her arms and allowed the death glare to her sister.

Claire shook her head. While she enjoyed Alison's music, she didn't think that the twins and Lana were doing a very good job at showing self control. She snuck a look at her cousin, who shook her head when she hung it.

"Don't worry, Kara, they're just…well excited," Claire said. "Lana gets like this all of the time, you'll get used to it."

"I do not," Lana said. She stood up to her full height, which was still a head shorter than Claire. She realized that she could never tower over Claire if she tried, so she sank down onto the balls of her heels, pouting.

"Of course you don't, Lana," Claire said.

Kara was told by the squeeing girls that Alison Blaire was in the house. She cursed her super hearing.

She was surprised to see how worn that Alison looked at first. It was because Kara could see her from afar. When she got closer, she adopted a sunny demeanor.

"Wow, you really are the most awesome fans in the world!" Alison called out over the roaring crowd. "I really hope that I don't run out of ink, signing autographs for all of you people. They might call me Dazzler, but you really dazzle me."

Kara nearly cringed at the corniness of that. Given her target audience, they lapped it up with a spoon.

"Good thing we got here early," Mary said. She saw that Amanda and Emily were getting a little bit anxious, and she couldn't blame them.

Alison snuck a couple of glances over her shoulder. She didn't want to cancel the autograph signing, but she had to up security. She had her third death threat this week and the seventh after breaking up with Shinobi.

The thing was that Betsy warned her, but she didn't heed that warning.

Little did she know, there was a creepy man in a trenchcoat hanging around the Starbucks that was near where the autograph signing was. He casually walked over and placed his hand on a guard's shoulder.

'_Shoot Alison Blaire, she's a dangerous mutant and deserves to be put down.'_

The guard, already being prejudiced against mutants, didn't disagree with that. He pulled out his gun and fired one shot at her.

Kara saw the bullet coming and she jumped over the table, to push Alison out of the way.

Mass panic followed and there was a loud shout of, "She's a filthy mutant!"

Kara shielded Alison's body from any future attacks, as a riot scene was about to develop.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	24. Dazzler Exposed

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Dazzler Exposed.**

* * *

An upcoming popstar being outed as a mutant often attracted the wrong kinds of attention. And it was often times the wrong kind of attention. The Mutant Response Division or the MRD turned up and they turned up at the worst possible times, making an already bad situation, sometimes worse.

They always moved in when someone was exposed as a mutant. It didn't matter if they were a mutant or not. In the type of world that society was today, it was guilty until proven innocenent.

"Everyone stand back, STAND BACK!" the MRD commander bellowed at the top of his lungs. He approached the scene with a brutality that was pretty much terrifying. He looked to be more dangerous than any other mutant. "There's a dangerous mutant."

Kara shook her head when she got to her feet. Mary had gotten the twins, Lana, and Claire out of the line of fire. She appreciated it. She kept Alison hidden behind the table, and used her X-Ray vision to peak.

The MRD were drawing in, and they had to deal with the crowd. This is one of those times where a legion of obsessed fans would come in handy, as far as Kara was concerned at least. Her heart was beating and she could sense how nervous Alison was in this situation.

'_Kara, are you okay?' _Alia asked her. She could sense her bonded's distress and she could tell just by looking through her eyes that things were breaking down badly.

'_Obviously, not,' _Donna thought. Kara shook her head.

If she could get Alison through the back exit, she might have a chance to get out of there. At least that was the theory that she was running with right now. She looked outside of the door and frowned.

Okay, there were MRD people surrounding around the outside area. That pretty much took that plan and gave it a nice solid kick in the ass.

Alison was pretty shaken beyond relief. She didn't know who her savor was, but she was glad that she was.

"They're after me, oh God," she murmured. The other blonde wrapped her arms around Alison.

Kara could shoot out of the door, if she could figure out some kind of distraction. She looked over and those magazines on that rack looked pretty flammable. It would be a pretty straight shot with her heat vision.

The problem was being seen herself and exposing her own gifts. Yeah, they could be a slight problem.

Alison was shaking and terrified to death. Kara placed her arm around her and whispered in her ear, "I know that you're upset, but you're going to need to calm down, we'll get you out of here, I swear, we'll find a way to get you out of here."

Alison shook madly and she shook her head. She couldn't believe that this was happening. Where did she go wrong? Shinobi was becoming possessive and she broke up with him. Betsy warned her that this might happen, but she couldn't believe that he would go this far. This was too far!

'_Rose is coming by, she should be there in about five minutes,' _Alia thought. _'Find a way to get her out of the door.'_

Kara thought that her magazine pyro plan was looking to be the best of several insane plans that she could have. She looked to Alison and she peered over the table.

A redheaded woman showed up and she was walking with a purpose. It was a scary purpose when she approached them. Her green eyes shined brightly and she wore a nice tight black bodysuit that clung to every inch of her body.

"This is a restricted area, what are you doing here?" one of the MRD goons said. He tried to strong arm the woman, but the woman stood up to her full height and peered down at him.

"What do you think I'm doing?" she asked. The MRD member gave her a nasty glare. "I'm doing my job. I'm Agent Tess Mercer and my organization is taking control of this investigation, so the MRD could clear out and stop making a mess out of a dangerous situation."

The MRD goons stepped forward and pointed their weapons, but this Agent Mercer had a few tricks up her sleeve as well. Kara looked extremely impressed at how she was holding up against these bastards.

"ARGUS is taking control of this investigation, and if you want to take it up with someone, then you should take it up with the boss up tonight," Tess commented. She stood up to her full height, which left her towering over the two Checkmate Agents. "But, I really don't think that you want to do that, do you?"

They knew who Tess answered to and she was the type of woman that none of them wanted to cross.

"Okay, clear out of here, shows over," one of them said.

'_Rose said she's in the alleyway out back, in a white van,' _Alison said.

The MRD was cleared out and Kara grabbed Alison up by the hand and lead out of the backdoor. The girl looked a bit terrified and Kara really couldn't blame her given the circumstances.

"Come on, you can trust me," Kara said to her.

Alison thought that she didn't have much a choice, she had to trust the girl, because what else would she do. We was lead off into a van, where the twins, Claire, Lana, and Mary were waiting. Rose was driving.

The twins looked about to burst out with excitement, but Rose gave them one look that indicated them for behave. The twins fell back into line, at the barest of hints.

"Alison, we need to get you out of here, there is a safe house that you can crash out until this all blows over," Rose informed her.

Alison climbed into the back of the van, hoping that she would not live to regret this. Providing that she lived long enough, because it seemed to be even odds that she would not get out of that behind.

"So, can we have your autograph?" Amanda asked.

"MANDY!" Emily yelled in an incredulous voice.

Alison just smiled slightly. She appreciated them for breaking the tension and the problems that she was having. She really needed that.

* * *

Alia was patiently waiting with Diana and Fleur at the safe house. She was confident of Rose's abilities to get them out of there, with Kara and Mary helping her out. That being said, Alia was getting up off of the couch and pacing around, looking like a caged animal when she was doing it.

Fleur turned to Diana and casually raised her eyebrow, "Is she always like this?"

"She's concerned," Diana replied. She couldn't blame the girl for being concerned, hell she was concerned for a really good reason. She got up to her feet.

"I saw things through Kara's eyes, and it looked really insane there," Alia said. "The MRD really is causing problems."

"A lot of people like that live to cause problems," Fleur said. She shrugged. "There are people like that in the Wizarding World….but they don't go after these mutants, they go after magical creatures. They're afraid of what they don't understand."

As a Veela, Fleur could emphasize with the problems that these mutants were having. She wished that she could offer Alia some more words of sympathy, but she had nothing.

"Don't tell me that everything is going to be fine, Diana," Alia told her sister.

Thankfully, Alia didn't have to wait for much longer. The doors opened, and the twins made their way inside. Mary followed them, and Kara escorted a rather shell shocked Alison into the room, with Rose bringing up the rear.

"Things are going rather insane, but you already knew that, I'm sure," Rose commented.

"Yes, I figured that much, hence why I sent you there," Alia said. She moved over and escorted Alison to the couch. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Um….I'm fine," Alison said. She didn't look fine, but she was going to try and be fine, for the sake of not losing her mind. Alia reached towards her and squeezed her hand.

"Are you sure?" Alia asked her. Alison shook her head. The problem was that she wasn't really sure. Her nerves were going absolutely insane to be honest.

"Okay, I could have some water if you have it, my mouth is dry," Alison said. "My mouth is always dry when I get really nervous or scared, and I guess that I'm both. I love performing, but I remember the first time, my mouth was so dry that you think that I was in a desert where it didn't rain for a year. It was so mortifying."

Alison blinked and realized that she was running off with her own words.

"I'm babbling, aren't I?" Alison asked. Alia responded with a grin.

"Just a little bit, yeah, but….it happens, trust me," Alia commented. She reached forward.

Mary returned with a glass of water.

"I'm your biggest fan, Alison," Mary said. "Is there anything else that I can do for you?"

Alison thought that she had a lot of biggest fans. Having a rather devoted fanbase did come with a lot of biggest fans, but that wasn't always a good thing. In fact, it could be a frustrating thing.

"No thank you," Alison said.

"I say that you dodged a rather narrow bullet."

Kara stepped back in surprise and saw the same agent who had cleared out the MRD.

"Those idiots won't give up just yet," Tess said when she arrived. She shook her head and if the situation hadn't been so awful, she would have been almost amused.

Kara looked to Alia and Rose. They looked like they knew what was going on here, although Kara didn't have a clue. She snuck a look at Mary as well, who shrugged and had a look that pretty much said "search me."

"Tess is a member of the Society, she's our eyes and ears in the government organization ARGUS," Rose informed the people who were not in the know.

"And thankfully I happened to be close enough by where I could defuse the situation," Tess informed them. "But….that won't make people forget it. There are people who are calling for the mass burning of your CDs and the boycott of anything done by you."

"Without any proof other than the words of a madman," Alia murmured. She sounded really disgusted and she was disgusted for good reason.

"I don't know how people could believe something like that," Diana said.

Tess could tell that Diana was new, and she figured that she better allow the Amazon Princess in on a few secrets.

"Well, people are going to latch onto the most convenient explanations possible," Tess commented to her.

"Yes, that's about right," Fleur said. She hoped that this kind of thing would not be present in the Muggle World, but it turned out that it was extremely present. They had their own flaws, she guessed.

Betsy turned up and Alison looked up to greet her. She bit down on her lip nervously when she looked the Braddock woman in the eye.

"Don't say it, please don't say it," Alison begged her.

"Say what?" Betsy asked.

"Say that I told you so, about Shaw," Alison commented. Betsy walked over and crossed the room, pulling her into a hug.

"I won't say that, because you were young and idealistic, you didn't think that it would happen to you," Betsy replied. She pulled away from Alison.

"We'll fix this," Alia answered. "We're going to fix all of this….they have no proof, and this will all be fixed."

"But, Shinobi still….."

Alia placed her finger on Alison's lips and stopped her from saying anything.

"Don't worry about Shinobi Shaw, I got him," Alia answered. She turned to Kara. "We're going to have to keep an eye on your cousin now….just to be safe."

"She's back home now," Kara said. "Donna's at the Kent Farm like you asked."

"Good," Alia confirmed. "We'll need to be there….Diana, Fleur, can I trust you to take care of Alison and make sure she gets settled in."

"Of course," Fleur said with a smile. "I'll make sure she gets settled in, and I'm sure that Diana can help him."

"Don't do anything to scare the poor girl though," Alia murmured.

"Right, I understand," Fleur responded.

* * *

"I can't believe it, we didn't get an autograph," Lana said. She folded her arms and stared at Claire. "That doesn't really seem fair, does it?"

Claire shook her head, it really didn't seem fair. But there were some really dangerous people that were after Alison. She really was terrified that those kind of people could go after her one day, and perhaps cause her friends and family to be put in danger. She didn't know if she could handle that.

"Hey, are you alright?" Lana asked. She could tell that Claire was looking like she was this close to veering off into la-la land. "Hey, Claire!"

"Yes, I'm fine," Claire said. "I'm just thinking about how people could be that cruel, to assume that she's different, just because someone said something that she was different. I mean, that's unfair, isn't it?"

Lana nodded in response. She knew that it was really unfair. There were a lot of people out there who really tended to fear those who were different from them and it terrified Lana to be honest. She looked Claire straight in the eye.

"So, now what?" Lana asked her quietly. Claire looked towards Lana, raising her eyebrow. "Wouldn't it be something if she was really a mutant?"

"You don't have any problem with that, do you?" Claire asked her. Lana shook her head frantically.

"No, she hasn't hurt anyone, so why would I have a problem with it?" Lana asked. "There are good mutants and there are bad mutants out there, just like there are good people and there are bad people. Just like there's good….well anyone."

Claire thought about telling Lana about her secret, but there was just something holding her back. She was a bit terrified about how she would react. She didn't seem to mind Alison being a mutant.

The door opened and Kara turned up. Claire and Lana rushed out, and Alia was standing with them.

"Alia!" Lana yelled. "I…I didn't know that you were coming."

"I figured that I would swing by with Kara, to see how you two girls were doing, after what you went through today," Alia said. She watched over and leaned over towards the two girls. "You are alright?"

"That was scary for a moment," Lana admitted. "But, Mary got us out of there, before things got really bad….you dove in, didn't you?"

She was looking at Kara at that moment, and Kara paused and she nodded.

"Yes, someone had to protest her," Kara confirmed for Lana. Lana smiled at her.

"Good thing that you were there to be her protector," Lana informed Kara.

Kara smiled, it was a good thing. Alison was a bit out of it, and to be honest, the poor girl was rather overwhelmed.

"She's going to be alright, isn't she?" Claire asked. She wasn't as big of a fan as Lana and the twins were of Alison's particular style of music, but she had to admit, she was rather concerned.

Alia smiled when she bent down to address the two of them.

"She'll be fine," Alia said. "So, where's your mother?"

"She's out in the barn, with Pa, they're talking with Donna about something," Claire said.

'_You can stay here, and be with your cousin and Lana, I'll go talk with Jonathan and Martha,' _Alia said. Kara smiled and she leaned forward towards her, giving her a small kiss on the lips, and then she left off.

Lana was looking at them quite curiously, but said nothing. She turned to Claire, who was frowning, but she shook her head.

"You've been looking me weird all afternoon," Lana said. She put her arms across her chest and looked at her friend. "I want to know what's up."

Claire sighed, she wondered if she should tell Lana about this. She looked towards Kara, who gave her an encouraging smile and a nod. When she was sure Lana wasn't looking, Kara mouthed "it's up to you."

"So, I guess that I'm doing this," Donna responded, when she met with Alia. "I told the Kents what was going on….pretty much what Tess said. There are people watching Smallville, and if Claire comes into her powers in a big way, she can't really hide it forever."

Alia didn't think that anyone would want to be normal, when they had extraordinary powers.

"The real question is how much do they know about Claire?" Martha asked, when they joined about the group. "When I heard the MRD were hunting around, my heart stopped. How advanced our their technology."

"Technically your daughter isn't a mutant, but I doubt that really matters to them," Alia said. "I think it will be best to step up her training, and get her ready for what's to come."

"Jonathan really wanted to avoid that, but….I think that even he realizes that it can't be avoided for much longer," Martha answered. She honestly hoped that they could avoid it as well, but she supposed that the time was come. "Donna being a teacher at the school gives me added peace of mind."

"And you've read the newspapers….there have been more weird things happening," Alia said.

"It's all tying back to that meteor shower," Martha commented. "That's where it all began, isn't it?"

"Yes," Alia confirmed. She placed her hand on Martha's and pulled her in. "Don't worry, we're going to do everything in our power…..although I think that Claire really wanted to tell Lana."

'_Actually she is going to,' _Kara amended.

"Well….given that Lana is already suspecting something's different with Claire, I guess it wouldn't hurt," Martha said. She turned to her husband. "Wouldn't it, Jonathan?"

Jonathan looked rather tired. Was the strain of keeping Claire's secret getting to him? Alia couldn't tell.

"No it wouldn't hurt, given that she's bound to find out anyway," Jonathan said. He did wonder if things going to get far worse before they would get better. There was one thing that he knew all about and that was adversity and how to fight it.

* * *

Alia could feel her tension rise. She made her way back to the safe house. She needed to stop and check on her favorite popstar.

She opened the door and Alison screamed, when she was caught. She threw her hands up in the air and tried to furiously wipe them off.

"Sorry, I'm sorry, really sorry," Alison said.

Alia smiled, when she crossed the distance in the room. She looked around at the scene, "We all have our vices….it's just that yours leaves you with really sticky fingers."

She gave her a teasing smile and Alison shrugged. She shook her head in frustration and she got up. She bent down to slowly pick up the chocolate wrappers that were on the ground.

"When I get nervous, I eat a lot of chocolate, and….well my publicist is going to have a fit," Alison said. "Because, I have to maintain a certain figure, because that's just the status symbol that I need to keep, or whatever BS, my publicist says. But, really, who gives a fuck, because my career is over!"

Alison looked rather sullen and Alia bent towards her, helping her to her feet.

"Hey, if you need to indulge in something, that's fine," Alia said. "Fuck what that bitch says to you."

Alia smiled when she looked over the pop star.

"And don't let a vocal minority if idiots ruin your life," Alia added. She slowly stroked Alia's hair and reached around, wiping the chocolate off of her chin. Slowly, Alia slipped her fingers into her mouth, sucking the chocolate off.

Alison was more distracted by what she was doing, then her one person pity party. She had to admit that what Alia was doing was stirring certain emotions within her.

"And don't worry about, Shinobi," Alia said. "That bastard is on my list to begin with, but that stunt he pulled today….he just sped up his reckoning."

Alison could tell what she meant and she learned a very valuable lesson, not to fuck with an Amazon princess.

"You really think everything will be alright," Alison murmured.

Alia smiled and wrapped her arms around Alison. The girl felt content in her warm arms.

"Of course," Alia said. "Trust me, honey, you'll be fine, and you'll be better than ever. There's no proof."

Alison felt Alia's lips push against hers. The young mutant struggled for a moment, but her lips were forced open. It was really hard to deny Alia what she wanted and her tongue parted lips.

"Wow," Alison said. She stepped back and Alia gently guided her on the bed. Her hands slowly worked over her.

"You know, if you want to indulge in something sweet, I've got something that you could take a taste of," Alia said. She stroked the side of Alison's hair.

"I'm not sure….about this," Alison murmured. She could feel Alison's mouth nip on the side of her neck.

"Just don't think, feel," Alia said. She nibbled on her ear and licked behind it.

Alison found it really hard to say now.

She stopped thinking and started doing, needing to have the tension building up inside her be relieved.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	25. Whisper

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Whisper.**

* * *

Alia stumbled from the room sometime later that morning. She slipped a bathrobe on, and decided that she wanted to talk to Rose. Her morning shower could wait, because this was important. She figured that Rose would be in the study and it turned out, she saw her aunt sitting there, talking on the phone.

The phone conversation seemed to be important, so Alia could wait. She threw herself into the chair across from Rose.

"Yes, they're overstepping their bounds and we need to do something before they put people in danger," Rose continued over the phone. "Yes, I understand, keep me posted, no matter what happens, I want to know, trust me."

Rose sighed when she put down the phone. Needless to say, she thought that the situation had grown out control. It was time for the Society's damage control team to work some damage control. Shinobi's father partially funded the MRD, thus showing why they were so intent of doing their jobs, especially now of all times.

"So, you're bothered by what the MRD is doing as well," Rose said. Alia nodded. "It's all the work of a few well-meaning people in the government. A handful of mutants cause trouble, and all of the sudden, it is a mutant witch-hunt to put all of them under ground and in shackles. Would you believe how absurd this is?"

"I am bothered by this," Alia said. "I looked into it last night, and most of them are young people who really can't control their powers. They freak out, and cause damage, but there's no intent to harm people."

Rose reached forward and touched her hand to that of her niece's. She looked thoughtful for a moment.

"It isn't at all easy to prove that you aren't a mutant and too easy to prove that you are," Rose commented. There was an obvious note of disgust dripping from her voice, that was really obvious. "So, you better believe that the term witch hunt fits."

"Does it really?" Alia asked.

"Well considering that very few actual witches were caught and mostly innocent people under suspicion got burned, it is true," Rose added. "I'm sure that some mutants get caught, but the really dangerous mutants that should be locked up, are avoiding detection."

Alia figured that it went without saying that these people would be extremely dangerous whether or not they had any kind of mutant powers.

"And on the word of one man, an innocent girl is being hunted down," Alia said.

"Good thing though that Alison has a rather devoted fanbase who is willing to go to bat for her," Rose said. She had popped on the Internet this morning and was amazed by the outcry of people who were willing to ensure that Alison didn't get a raw deal. It was almost amazing.

Speaking of the girl herself, Alison staggered on in. She walked a little ragged and a little bowl legged, but it was pretty much worth. She walked over and bent down towards Alia, kissing her.

"Alia, another one?" Rose asked.

"Well, she was stressed and I was too, and it was mutually beneficial," Alia replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Is, young Miss Batson still recovering?"

Alison smiled, "Yes, she's still in bed and still smiling after you put her through the paces."

She caught sight of the grim look on Rose's face. Alison knew that look seldom meant anything good.

"So, what's the damage now?" Alison asked. She could feel Alia's finger's intertwine within her own and she squeezed her hand, that relaxed her. "Tell me everything, I'm going to need to know."

"There's some pretty damning evidence that Shinobi Shaw was involved with you being outed," Rose informed Alison. The young girl's face fell into a frown. "And there's also the fact that there was a mutant that stirred things up in the first place."

Rose slapped down the results of Tess's investigation on the table. Alia picked it up, and read it.

"There was a mysterious man in a trenchcoat that was talking to the guard, before he did what he did," Alia read. Her eyebrow wrinkled and she supposed that she didn't have to say the office.

"So, there's another person who knows what I am," Alison said. She could feel Alia's hand grip around her tight and she relaxed in her grin. The young pop star felt herself hitch in a breath and It came out of her body. "When will it ever end?"

"So, he can affect thoughts and emotions?" Alia asked. "But, I have a feeling that he cannot affect anything that isn't already there in the first place? He can only trigger areas of the person's mind that could be already formed."

She guessed that with time, the mutant could wear down the subconscious of a person and brainwash him to be something that he was not, but it would take a lot of time and energy, and constant exposure. And she wasn't sure that he would have the patience to keep up such exposure, at least that was as far as she could think.

"He is dangerous," Alison muttered. "And Shaw's not going to rest until he has me ruined. I just had to get involved with him."

"You thought that he was charming," Alia said. She had heard enough from Betsy about him to realize that they could get that kind of impression about someone like Shaw, at least from extremely limited exposure to him. More lengthy exposure, and the wheels kind of rolled off of that perception.

She planned to take Shaw down and she didn't care how that she would do it. It was time for her to go on the hunt.

* * *

Regan reviewed the day's news with a bit of amusement and a fair amount of bemusement. She waited for Shinobi to return.

'_He's going to enter this room, fuming at any moment now,' _Regan thought. _'Right on schedule.'_

Shinobi burst through the door and was in a rage.

"Incompetent lout, he can't even do one job right!" Shinobi yelled at the top of his lungs.

Regan raised her eyebrow and looked at her fellow….well, he did breath the same air that she did. So that was something that they had in common.

"This is the second ex-girlfriend you failed to kill," Regan commented. "I'm going to have to say, that might put a bit of a damper on any future dating prospects you might have."

Shinobi turned and glared at her. Regan dropped her hands and shrugged in response.

"So, you're busy with petty revenge, but have you given any thought about the other plan?" Regan asked. "Girlfriends come, girlfriends go, especially at that last part with you."

Shinobi found himself more annoyed by her prodding him like this. And Regan was glad that he got annoyed, because she was not done prodding him as hard as she could.

"But Hellfire lasts forever," Regan said. "And if you haven't figured out a way to push your father aside, anything that you accomplish will be secondary."

"My father is not easily killed," Shinobi said. "There have been several assassination attempts on his life, and he is none worse for wear. He just isn't easily killed."

Regan placed her hand underneath her chin, and looked at Shinobi, in mock thoughtfulness, "Well, that is a problem, isn't it? Guess you're going to have to figure out a way to think further outside of the box. Granted, thinking is not one of your strong suits, given your sloppy plan that failed, again today. But I'm sure that if you can rattle up enough brain cells, you might be able to figure out something."

Again, Regan cut deep into Shinobi with her words.

"Outside of the box, you say?" Shinobi asked.

He looked thoughtful suddenly. Regan thought that she smelled something burning. The problem was that he had a one track fixation on spurning everyone who wronged him.

"So, despite your best efforts, Alison Blaire is still beloved by her small, but rather fanatical, fan base," Regan said. She couldn't help, but twist the knife in further. The reaction on Shaw's face was fairly comical.

"They'll all turn to her, when they find out what kind of traitorous snake that she is," Shinobi commented.

"Because, she dumped you, you think that she's evil," Regan replied. She shook her head. The world according to Shinobi Shaw was fairly amusing to say the very least.

Shinobi nodded and she realized that he was completely serious. He meant pretty much everything that he said. Talk about someone who had gone completely delusional.

"So, do you have any plan that doesn't revolve around spiting your ex?" Regan asked.

"I know what game you're playing, and I might indulge you in a date, if you play your cards right," Shinobi said.

Regan looked like she had been force-fed something that was both sour and rancid the same time. She had a long list of things that she would want to do and watching a vampire romance movie was far above going out with Shinobi.

"But, you're going to have to wait, as duty calls," Shinobi said. "And you were right."

No matter what the circumstances, being told that she was right was music to Regan's ears.

"I need to step up and take care of my father, because my contributions will be minimalized as long as he lives," Shinobi responded.

"Yes, those contributions that you have, which are very useful," Regan said.

"I need to make a phone call, and we can discuss our future, later," Shinobi said.

Shinobi let the room and Regan looked rather sour.

"Oh, that was such a wonderful breakfast, and it's about to come up out of my mouth," Regan muttered underneath her breath.

Regan leaned back and sighed. Shinobi was a valuable puppet, at least in small doses. She could only take him in really small doses. Small doses was the best to take someone like Shaw.

He thought highly of himself, and expected the rest of the world to think as highly of himself. The only problem was that his arrogance was one of the worst parts of his wonderful personality, that wasn't so wonderful after all.

She was beginning to see exactly why Braddock and Blaire dropped him after less than a handful of dates between the two of them. And the four or five other girlfriends that didn't return his calls, and she had to hear him whine about like a little bitch.

Granted, she could always see it, but this reinforced what she saw quite nicely, to be honest.

She picked up her cell phone and looked at it. She got a text message and it was from her sister.

That did wonders in improving Regan's mood.

* * *

Alia was going to live up to her promises, because that was just the type of person that she was. She wasn't going to do it alone, Betsy joined her. She had a score to settle with the younger Shaw.

Kara joined them, present to ensure that neither of them got themselves into trouble. It honestly was a sad state of affairs when she had to be the one to keep both of them in line.

'_So do you think that this is a good lead?' _Kara asked.

'_Facial recognition with the Argus Database doesn't really lie, he's been spotted in this pub before,' _Alia informed her. _'We just have to hope that he's here now.'_

Betsy knew that they were looking for a puppet, to find out more about what the master might have planned.

Her eyes caught sight of him, sitting behind the bar. He looked was downing a beer and it wasn't the first time.

He was apparently using the money that Shaw paid him to disrupt Alison's life to drink himself silly. It might have been a waste, that was, if it wasn't so mentally fucked up in all of the worst possible ways.

Betsy pulled the chair out from underneath him and caused him to land ass first on the ground. The jolting pain through his tailbone did a wonderful job of grabbing his attention.

"What the hell?" he slurred.

Alia performed a slight charm to divert the attention of the other patrons. Many of them were too drunk to notice if there was nuclear war going on around them, but she still wasn't going to take any chances.

She shoved this bastard on the ground.

"Why did you tell that guard that Alison Blaire was a mutant?" she demanded. She didn't have any patience.

"Nothing personal, I'm a mutant….although I got my powers from those falling rocks, during the meteor shower," the man said. He was practically babbling when he spoke. "Guy's got to eat, guy's got to drink, guy's got to make a living, it was really nothing against the mutant. Not a fan of her type of music, but I'm sure that she's a nice girl."

The sleazebag mutant gave a slight hiccup and he twitched. He was well aware that Alia could take him out.

"It's funny, I remembered when I discovered my power for the first time," the mutant said. "There was this bully that I ran into, he bullied me every single day that I was in school. Well, it turns out that….that he had a pretty successful life for himself. The type of life that's the envy of every man and woman out there. He had a wife, he had three children, a great job, and he was loved by all, even if he was a really awful jerk."

The mutant shook his head.

"It's funny, though, I told him to jump off a bridge, and he did….guess that his life wasn't as rosy as it seemed," the mutant commented.

"That doesn't make you any better," Alia said. She reached down and grabbed him by the throat, squeezing hard. "I'm really losing my fucking patience with you."

She grabbed her hand around his throat and tightened around it. He breathed heavily and tried to break himself away from her grip.

"Let me go," he managed. He thought that she would break him out.

Alia didn't let go of his throat.

"Who were you working for?" Alia demanded.

"Shaw, Shinobi Shaw…but you knew that already, didn't you?" he commented. Alia nodded in response. "It was at the Rivera, a popular nightclub that his father owns….it's in New York City, and he's….he's going to make sure that I finished the job. He's going to pay me then….."

Alia pulled away from him and he was about to open his mouth to tell the patrons to attack. Unfortunately, his jaw shattered underneath Alia's foot and Betsy put him to sleep, shorting out his mind.

"So, we've got a place," Betsy said. She really wished that she didn't take a step into his mind, even if it was only a small step. It was kind of a depraved place for her to end up.

"And that's where we're heading," Alia said. "He's there every Friday Night on the dot. All we need to do is get on our private jet, and we'll be ready."

"Hopefully we can find something to wear for the occasion," Kara commented.

* * *

Shinobi Shaw was there, right on cue, on Friday Night. He was surrounded by simpering women as far as the eye could see. They were quite sad and really not too exciting at all, when you really thought about it.

Regan wore a little black dress when she joined him. She was acting as his date.

"I hope that you gave my proposal some consideration, my dear, Regan," Shinobi said. He placed his arm around her waist, but she pulled away. "You know, the two of us together, we can make some magic together."

"You try and get too fresh with me," Regan said. She smiled when she leaned closer to Shinobi's face. "And I'll put nursery rhymes in an infinite loop in your mind. That will be all you hear for the rest of your days."

Shinobi swallowed and looked fairly disgusted. He struck out and rather well as well. His sour expression was one that would have looked amusing, if he had not looked so pathetic.

"Why don't you try that woman over there, she seems more your speed," Regan replied.

"Playing hard to get," Shinobi muttered.

"Yes, only in your delusions," Regan replied blandly. The sooner she used him to advance her goals, the sooner that she could kick him to the side like yesterday's garbage. And as far as she was concerned, that was all he was, yesterday's garbage.

Elsewhere in the bar, Kara and Alia showed up. Alia wore an emerald green dress that matched her eyes and fit her body quite nicely. Kara wore a nice red dress that made her stand out. They were getting their share of looks.

"Shouldn't be too hard to find Shaw," Alia muttered to Kara.

"Look for the idiot who is striking out with every woman who has a few brain cells to spare," Kara said. Alia looked back at her girlfriend and smiled. "Yeah, I thought that would be the case, but I wasn't sure."

It wasn't too hard to find him, or rather it wasn't too hard to find them. Shinobi walked over to both of them.

"Well, I haven't seen you around here much," he commented, in his usual charming tone. "But, I'm hoping to see a lot more of you."

Kara gave Alia a look, as if to say "can you believe this guy?"

"Alia, Alia Evans," Alia said helpfully. "And this is Kara Kent...my girlfriend."

"Oh, you're with her, are you?" Shinobi asked. "Well, I think that you can find that I'm very open minded and adaptable."

Alia thought that he would be dangerously close to charming, except for the fact that he wasn't. And there was that little fact that he could be two people.

"I think that I should buy you two ladies a drink," Shinobi said. "And….I know that the Evans family is into big business, so maybe we can discuss a merger."

"Oh, I'm sure that I can arrange for the Shaws to get a good deal, that will change the face of everything," Alia said.

"Well, maybe we can head straight upstairs, and discuss business, all three of us," Shinobi said.

"How high is your room?" Kara asked.

"Oh, it's as high as you ladies want it, I do own the place," Shinobi said. He smiled when he looked at both of them.

"Would the top floor be doable?" Alia asked.

'_He's playing into our hands, isn't he?' _Betsy asked. She was waiting upstairs, for Shinobi to be suckered up there.

And the possibility of a threesome was something too tantalizing for that idiot to turn down.

"Yes, I think that it would be….." Shinobi said. He paused, when his phone rang. "Could you excuse me for a moment?"

He didn't know why his father was calling him now of all times, to cock block him.

"What do you mean it's urgent?" Shinobi asked. "I'm in the middle of a meeting with….."

"You're out in that club, making a fool of yourself," his father informed Shinobi. "I doubt very much that you would have made headway."

Shinobi looked sour, but he knew that his father was going to get his way, whether he liked it or not.

"Guess that I have to leave, it was a pleasure to meet both of you, and I hope to get to know you rather well soon," Shinobi said.

"Well, that's a shame," Alia said.

Shinobi looked like he agreed, but for different reasons. That being said, he walked off, in a foul mood.

"Is he really so arrogant to think that he would have a chance with two girls that he just met, who obviously have no interest in guys?" Kara asked.

'_Yes, darling, yes he is,' _Betsy commented. She couldn't believe that she saw anything in that twerp, but then again, it was one gate.

Regan was watching from the bar. She wondered if those two girls were plotting some kind of revenge on Shinobi for something that he did. She recognized one of them as one who was spotted diving and knocking down Alison Blaire.

"So, did you finally run your boyfriend off?"

Regan turned around. She saw a dark haired girl with blue eyes waiting for her at the bar.

"Shaw told me that the two of you were dating," she commented.

"I would think that you would have had more sense than that, Martinique," Regan informed her. "Then again, you don't tend to be the smartest girl in the room half of the time."

"Well, you're such a big slut, that I can never tell," Martinique bit back.

"Yes, because you are easily recognized without your legs shut," Regan sniped. She turned her attention towards the two girls that Shaw tried to entice upstairs.

She sensed that there was some kind of assassination plot at hand. They looked like they were more dangerous than they let on.

And Shinobi, being the little idiot he was, thought with the brain between his legs and not the one in his head.

"Well, things got more interesting, didn't they?" Martinique asked.

Regan really hated agreeing with her sister. There were times where she was right. A blind squirrel could find a nut, she guessed.

A loud bang echoed from outside and that caused Martinique to stand up straight, along with Regan.

Alia and Kara heard it as well, and they had to investigate.

They saw Shinobi Shaw down on the ground, a crazed woman holding a gun waving it around.

"YOU'LL BE SORRY ABOUT THAT!" she yelled. "You should leave Alison Blaire alone…she was too good for the likes of you anyway, you bastard! I'll kill the entire fucking MRD, if they won't leave her alone!"

They intended to take out Shinobi tonight, but some deranged fangirl beat them to the punch.

"Whoa, someone has issues," Kara murmured underneath her breath. That caused Alia to look at her. The two girls watched the assailant get tackled down to the ground.

It took several cops, and some mace before she was taken down. The girl was not about to go down without a fight. She was a bit of a scrapper and she was a dangerous girl to be honest. And she looked to be spitting hot fire when she tackled and restrained.

Alia noticed something rather odd. Shaw's limo driver and bodyguard were not present. And it was rather peculiar that he was called out here by his father, only to get attacked.

It was very odd indeed.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	26. Checkmate

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Checkmate. **

* * *

Shinobi Shaw was laid up in the hospital. He was hooked to machines as he was laid up, suffering from the accident that happened. The medical attention got him stable at least enough to get him hooked up to the machine, but there was no guarantee that he was going to survive the night. He was only barely aware what was happening around him.

The doctors and the nurses crowded over the younger Shaw heir. His medical bills would be high, but he could afford it. He was loaded. The Shaw heir gave a ragged breath when he tried to roll over.

The door opened and Sebastian Shaw stepped into the room. One of the doctors stepped towards him, looking rather somber.

"We're doing what we can for Shinobi, Mr. Shaw," the doctor commented in a somber voice. "But, he has suffered a serious injury. One of the bullets pierced a vital organ, and another got him in the head. He has lost a lot of blood, and he might never be the same again…in fact….he might have to be on life support for the rest of his days."

"That's a true pity, but I refuse to believe that there isn't any hope for my son," Shaw responded. He looked at the doctors. "You have given him the best medical care to stabilize him, but I can afford much better medical care, if you would allow me to have full access to him."

The doctors looked at Shaw. They didn't see any reason not to allow him access to his son.

"It's a pity that he got involved….the only crime my son made is that he made some poor choices, and was in the wrong place at the wrong time," Shaw said. A pair of doctors who looked like they had been flown in from a foreign land entered the room. "They are some of the best doctors in the world, and I'll make sure that Shinobi gets the treatment that he needs to get better."

"No," Shinobi murmured.

"This is the first time he's spoken since he was here," one of the nurses commented in a hush. She sighed. "He was such a handsome young man…it would be a shame of his looks and his mind rot away."

"Well, I think that you better allow me to treat him, and ensure that he gets much better," Sebastian said. He looked down at the young man, his look was fairly calculating when he stared down at his son.

The doctors didn't know any the wiser. Sebastian's team of doctors moved over to examine Shinobi.

The young Shaw heir had a moment of clarity, but he was put back under. One of the doctors checked his medication and he frowned.

"We're going to have to recommend a much stronger dosage to get him through the evening, Mr. Shaw," the doctor informed him.

"Very, well, I trust your expert judgement," Shaw responded. He leaned down and could feel his son's forehead.

It was rather cold.

"If you all don't mind, I'd like a moment to speak with my son alone," Shaw said.

"No," Shinobi murmured one more time.

"That's the only word that he's said, and he's said it twice," one of the nurses responded. She looked at the young man, and she felt a twinge of sympathy. That Dazzler chick obviously did him wrong. She was a mutant and she had used her powers to bedazzle her fans and rile them up to be sent after Shaw.

"No," Shinobi murmured, a bit more forcefully.

"He's recalling his ordeal with that psychotic woman that tormented him," Sebastian said. "Now, a moment along with my son, if you please."

The doctors and nurses left. Shinobi grew silent and his arm twitched, but he could not move other than that. The medication managed to put him down for the ten count, when it was finally settling in on him.

"The thing about chess is that there always needs to be sacrifices, Shinobi," Shaw muttered when he peered down into his son's eyes. "And you should have learned about playing a game that you haven't quite learned the nuances in just yet."

Shinobi was in a catatonic state.

"I know that you can hear everything that I said….but I want you to know, that the unfortunate woman who attacked you was not my call," Sebastian said. "Something less than sophisticated and not all that sloppy would not be the call of the Black King of the Hellfire Club. Trust me on that, Shinobi, trust me."

Sebastian leaned down to look in his son's eyes. It was very obvious that his son didn't trust him as far as he could throw him. Not that he could do anything about it, in his current condition.

"It seemed like the woman held a greater obsession for our pop princess than even you did," Shaw chuckled. "She's been committed, and she is still screaming that she'll end up finishing the job. I think that it's best to keep you under round the clock surveillance, for your own protection."

Shaw picked up the clipboard and looked over his son's medical report. It didn't look good.

"I'm certain that my doctors will make a suggestion to medicate you around the clock," Shaw said. "You will be able to do barely more than blink and maybe think, but your body will be so ravaged that you won't even move. But, the alternative is letting you die slowly and painfully, and I do not want that for you. Perhaps one day, you will understand why you weren't ready for the prestigious Hellfire Club."

Shaw left his son to think about what happened. He had a meeting with the rest of the Hellfire Club, but he would return to make sure his son got the care that he deserved.

After all, father did know best.

* * *

Alia, Kara, and Betsy met up with each other. None of them were shedding any tears over incapacitation of the younger Shaw, even though the plan was less than sophisticated.

"It seems like things weren't as rosy in the Shaw family as they would have had us all believe," Betsy commented.

The three of them walked up to one of the meeting places.

"It appears that Shinobi didn't know who he was dealing with," Kara said. "Shaw was playing a more detailed game then I think that he could fathom."

"Shinobi always thought more of his abilities than he was really capable of, that's just how he worked," Betsy said. "One date was more than enough….and well….I guess that's the end of him."

"Random crazed fan, that's almost poetic," Alia said. "The poor girl suffered."

"Well, there was a lot wrong with her," Kara said. She shook her head.

"That's the price of fame, I'm afraid," Betsy said. "You're going to attract all sorts of obsessed fans. Shinobi should have known better than to poke that bear in the eye. I guess he thought that people would turn on her in droves, because he outed her as a mutant."

"Shinobi has a rather detached view of reality," a calm voice stated. "He thinks that the world goes according to one he thought."

The girls looked up and saw a girl sitting in the chair, by the fire. She had blonde hair and was dressed in a tight form fitting black top and tighter black pants. She placed her hand down on the table.

Betsy obviously knew her. She gave her a very cool, "Hello, Regan."

"You've been busy, haven't you, Elizabeth?" Regan asked. She casually drummed her fingers on the table. "Taking care of the business interests after your brother's tragic accident…..and trying to figure out who killed him….it's nice to see you have a sufficient amount of time to come up for air and join the rest of high society."

"Yes, I've joined the Society," Betsy said. "And have you succeeded in getting my way inside the Hellfire Club?"

"My father continues to be a fairly annoying roadblock," Regan commented dryly. "But, he won't be around forever."

Perhaps it was Alia's imagination, but she could see something rather calculating and dare she say a bit cruel, in the other girl's eyes, not to mention her tone of voice. Maybe that was just her, though.

"And you haven't introduced me to your friends, that seems to be oddly rude for you, Elizabeth," Regan told the other girl.

"This is Kara Kent and this is Alia Evans," Betsy said. She kept her eyes on her.

'_Stay sharp, she could be calculating, and she's obviously here for a reason,' _Betsy thought to both Kara and Alia.

'_I figured as much,' _Alia said. She paused, and added, _'On both accounts.'_

"Alia Evans….it's an honor to meet you," Regan said. "I thought that you would have been younger, but perhaps I got some faulty information."

"You may have," Alia agreed with a smile towards her. "But, what are you doing here?"

"I'm not here for a social gathering, in fact, I'm here to pass on information to your aunt, and she knows that it is," Regan said. She smiled and looked at Alia, who was looking at her. "Don't worry, I don't bite….well unless it's consensual."

"My bite can be harder, if you're playing any game," Alia said.

"Given that it's unwise to go against the will of the Black Queen, I can assure you that I'm not playing any games, Alexandra," Regan informed her. She spoke in a soft and low voice, smiling when she looked into the girl's eyes.

"Perhaps," Alia said, registering the use of her full name.

"Regan, you're early."

Rose turned up to meet the girl, who smiled.

"I've met your charming niece, and I have to say, I'm looking forward to getting to know her better," Regan said. "Much better."

Kara stepped in front of Regan, "Well, only if you behave."

"And you must be an Alpha," Regan informed her with a sweet smile. "No need to get territory, darling, just merely having some fun….I'm sure all of us have plenty of fun when we work together."

"Do you have the information?" Rose asked.

"Yes, right here…..it wasn't difficult to charm Shaw's secretary," Regan said. "Given who my mentor is, she taught me pretty much everything that I need to do,

Rose knew full and well who was Regan was being mentored by. And she wondered how much of what she was saying was Regan's words, and how much was the words of her mentor. It was one of those things that she did wonder.

"Shinobi being put in the state that he's currently in was not unwelcome, but it did interfere with our plans somewhat," Regan answered. "But his days were numbered. And my sister is back in the country…..and she has her own agenda."

"We're going to have to ensure that her agenda should line more up with our agenda," Rose said.

Regan responded with an extremely cryptic comment, "It doesn't matter, the balance of power will be shifting in a couple of days. Give it time, and it will occur."

Rose understood what that meant. Plans were already formulating in place. Alia looked at her.

"It's time for the Hellfire Club members to rejoin our society," Rose said. "And for that to happen, certain weeds will need to be pruned."

* * *

Shaw joined the rest of the Hellfire Club representatives. The news involving his son had momentarily distracted him, but with the Hellfire Club, he couldn't afford to keep his eye off of the ball. The Black King looked at his fellow members. Leland and Pierce were always loyal to his cause, they needed him after all. Wyngarde might be calculating, but he didn't have the ambition to pull things off.

"We have a new member of the Club to introduce, but first, the alarming news that our Society counterparts in Europe intend to move in on our territory," Shaw said. "As you know, this is a problem."

"Surely, they wouldn't be that much of a problem," Wyngarde said. "They have never decided to move their operations outside of Europe."

"Things have changed," Shaw commented. "We need to ensure that our power remains properly consolidated."

It was obvious that the Hellfire Club was very much a good old boy's club, and there were some concerns whenever the status quo would be broken.

"But, we will need to move forward with our plans," Pierce said. He cleared his throat. "And the recently vacated role of the White Queen has been filled."

The door opened as if right on cue. Shaw's assistant led a beautiful woman inside. Her gorgeous blonde hair came down in a curtain across her face. It was half draped over her face, showing her splendor and her beauty. She wore the attire that was expected for a member of the Hellfire Club. She wore a tight white corset, with a nice jacket over the top of it. She wore a thong and sheer white stockings. Gloves and a choker device was placed on her neck as well.

"Gentlemen, I present to you the lovely Miss Emma Frost," Shaw remarked.

"The daughter of the recently departed Winston Frost?" Leland asked. She nodded. "It is a pleasure for to be a part of our society, and as the White Queen, I'm certain that you will rise through the ranks rather quickly."

"I endeavor to do my best," Emma said. One could see that she was plotting. Then again, that wasn't anything new.

The Hellfire Club was all about plotting. Eventually older members were put out of their misery and taken out by the younger members of the club. Shaw, however, had managed to beat his son to the punch.

His assistant left the room for a second, but she returned. Seconds later, she brought back some drinks for them.

"Let us toast our newest member of the Hellfire Club, and our new White Queen, Emma Frost," Shaw said with a smile. He took the drink that his assistant had offered to him and he drank it. The fellow men inside the room drank as well.

Shaw could sense a slight burning his throat. His associates sensed the same burning sensations going through the back of their throats.

"What is going on here?" Shaw asked.

"I thought that it would be painfully obvious, Shaw, it's a coup."

The alluring Black Queen turned up. Selene had been at this game far longer than all of them and had to dupe them.

"Emma, thank you for playing your role, in relaxing their minds, and ensuring that they would take the drink," Selene said. "I have taught you well."

"Why would you poison us?" Shaw asked. "What would have to gain?"

"Your fortunes, which you have signed over to your mistresses, who now work for me," Selene said. Her tone was calm and extremely sweet. She looked down into the beady eyes of Shaw. "You thought that you could trust them, trust that they wouldn't betray you. But that trust got betrayed."

The fever was going through Shaw and he was sweating like a madman.

"There has to be a way out…." Shaw said. He slumped down on the table and he dropped down onto the table, with a breath coming out of his body.

"Oh, I'm sure that you expect an antidote of some sort," Selene said. She smiled. "Well, I'm afraid that's not really possible. Well it is possible, but it would be a waste to waste it on someone who would be dead one way or another, sooner rather than later."

Shaw couldn't even speak. His throat was swollen and he could barely breath. His fellow Hellfire Goons were not in a better state as well.

Selene would have gotten around to it, but babysitting her Granddaughters had been a full time objective. One of them, she had to keep on an extremely short leash to be honest.

"Well, quite a day to spend the first day in the club," Emma said.

"Well, Shinobi was taken out by his own stupidity, so we need not worry about him," Selene said. "Did your pet relay the information she needed to?"

"Yes," Emma confirmed.

"Excellent, you've done well, Emma," Selene said. "Would you care for a drink?"

Emma frowned. She didn't want to show a lack of trust, but at the same time, trusting Selene blindly might prove to be her fatal undoing.

"No thank you," she politely replied.

Selene smiled. She thought that she chose well for her protégé. She actually didn't intend to poison Emma. She didn't wrong her after all. But the fact she was cautious given what that she saw, proved that she was a rather able recruit to the Society.

* * *

Diana, Kara, and Alia arrived outside of Starr Enterprises, where they were going to attend a business meeting with the owner of the company. Rose was going to attend the meeting, but she had to back out at the last minute.

Alia really didn't mind attending to be honest. She needed to learn the family business and also the ins and outs. The Evans family was the heritage that she wanted to learn about, and they were very successful. There were a couple of failures, Petunia being the most obvious, but you can't have a perfect success rate.

"Looks like things are going to be just fine with Alison," Kara said. "People are already moving onto the next outrage."

"There was no proof, other than some maniac's word, and he doesn't even remember saying it now," Alia reminded her.

Diana nudged her sister, with a grin on her face, "And I suspect that the Free Dazzler campaign you were involved in helped a little bit."

"Now, Diana, my involvement could not be proven in that," Alia said. "I really don't need to get involved with that. She does have her devoted fans."

Kara smirked, 'Just ask Shinobi."

"Well it's not like anyone is going to ask him anything for a long time," Alia said. She turned towards the group. "So we have this meeting with Karen Starr…..and then I need to go meet with Circe."

"You need to go meet with Circe?" Diana asked. She sounded like there was a bad taste in her mouth when she spat that name out.

"She did offer to help me recover my mother….and she does owe me a debt," Alia said.

"Yes, she's never done you wrong, I know," Diana said. The past between herself and Circe was well documented well and she had talked about it. "It's just as well, as I have a lunch with Doctor Sandsmark….and I need to check out pretty soon."

Alia was caught off guard by a surprising guess.

"Gwen?" Alia asked. "It's good to see you!"

Gwen smiled when she saw Alia, "It's good to see you as well."

"So what are you doing here?" Kara asked.

"Well, I'm working as an intern here," Gwen said. She shook her head. She really hoped that this intern job went much better than the last intern job. Her old boss going insane didn't really bode well for her future employment. And trying to kill her when her old boss found out that she was his arch-nemesis.

"I don't want to keep you from your work," Alia answered. "In fact, we're meeting Karen Starr here….she's working with SLE on a big project."

"Well, I won't keep the three of you," Gwen said. She smiled and allowed them to take the elevator.

Alia, Kara, and Diana were at the elevator. Kara looked like she could pass as Alia's personal assistant, and Diana was dressed like she could be his bodyguard. They exited the elevator.

The three of them ran into an attractive blonde who was filled into a female business suit. She looked extremely busty and she didn't have a bad set of legs either. The business suit was extremely tight around her.

Kara blinked and she looked at her. She looked like she could be Kara's older sister, it looked uncanny. She couldn't keep her eyes off of the woman's breasts, there was some kind of amazing magnetic pull that was drawing her eyes in that general direction.

"Hello, you must be Alia," Karen said. Her eyes were diverted towards Alia, and not towards Kara looking at her breasts.

Not that she was not used to people looking at her breasts. In fact, it's second nature.

"Yes, I am," Alia said. She shook the woman's hand and offered her a light kiss on the top of her hand.

Karen was taken off guard by this young woman kissing her on the top of her hand, but it wasn't entirely unpleasant to say the very least.

"This is Diana and this is Kara," Alia said.

Karen blinked, when she noticed Kara.

"Sorry, you remind me of how I looked when I was a teenager," Karen said. She laughed it off. "It's amusing how spooky the world can be sometimes, isn't it?"

"Very," Kara replied. She didn't really what to make it.

"So, the Society has aggressively recruited me," Karen said. "And they make it really hard to say no."

"Are you really saying no or just playing hard to get?" Alia asked her.

"Well, they've worn me enough to do business with them," Karen said. She found herself drawn to Alia's very familiar looking eyes and demeanor. They reminded her of someone who she used to know. "It's a project that will revolutionize global communication."

"Oh, Rose mentioned something about it, but perhaps you can explain it to me a bit more?" Alia asked.

Karen smiled, and was glad to. There was something really familiar about those green eyes. She didn't want to jump to the wrong conclusion though, not wanting to weird Alia out.

Still, the fact that Kara looked like a younger, slightly more innocent, version of herself, with the same name as her real name, that caused things to be really interesting as far as she was concerned.

"My office is down the hall, there should be plenty of room there to conduct business," Karen offered.

Alia smiled, looking her over. That caused shivers to go down the older woman's spine.

"I'd like that."

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	27. Meetings

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Meetings. **

* * *

This meeting was to ensure that everyone was on the same page. When the meeting was over, Karen was impressed with what Alia had laid out on the table. It was pretty much the same thing that they had been working on, but it also had a few modifications and dare she say, some improvements. She looked down at the paper.

"So, you're blown away, are you?" Kara asked. Karen looked at the girl who looked like she could be her younger clone. "Yeah, judging by the look on your face, I can tell that you're blown away."

"Well, yes, I am," she muttered. She couldn't believe that they had done something like that. She could see the look on Alia's face and she broke out into a smile. "I can't say that's a bad thing that I'm shocked. It's a very good thing, and believe me when I say that I'm astonished. This is amazing, you know."

"I'm well aware with how amazing this is," Alia commented.

"You are really confident in this, aren't you?" Karen asked. She could feel Alia's hand drape over hers.

Her touch felt really welcome and dare she say it a bit familiar. Karen flashed back to another time and her heart started to flutter. It was almost like that Alia knew what she was feeling, but she didn't bring it up. And Karen was glad for that, because she preferred that she didn't face particular part of her past just yet. There was just too much to worry about on that front.

"So, I guess that this would be a way to promote closer understanding with the world at large and bring us closer together," Karen replied. She paused and she added with a slight smile, "Or maybe another way to make sure people are less than productive."

That caused Alia to smile, "Well, I'm sure that there could be a multitude of uses. I might not have had as much exposure to technology, but I really think that it could be enhanced and we can get more out of it."

"We can, we can," Karen agreed. She didn't think that it would be any time soon where technology on Earth would even be in the top half of the universe.

"We feel that humanity is at a pivotal time, where the world can either grow or be destroyed, and naturally, we prefer it to grow and evolve," Alia remarked.

Karen laughed, shaking her head, "Well, I think that it might be a good idea for us to do whatever we can to ensure that humanity grows and evolves. I think that would be the best thing for us and the best thing for business."

"I would agree with that," Diana said. She and Kara were just there as Alia's bodyguard and personal assistant respectfully, but Alia did value their input. "Maybe we can make this world a bit better place."

"People have wanted to do that for a very long time," Karen said.

It was almost a buzzword with many corporations. They wanted to make a world a much better place.

"Is there something wrong?" Alia asked her.

Karen looked at her, wondering where that came from. Alia placed her hand on Karen's and squeezed it.

"It's just that you keep looking into my eyes," Alia informed her. Karen frowned and she looked a bit flushed. "And I want to know why you're doing that."

"Do you?" Karen asked.

"And you keep looking like your mind is a million miles off in another direction," Alia added. Karen looked flustered. She felt like she was guilty as charged. "So, what's the matter?"

"It's just that….well it's just that you remind me of a friend that I had a long time ago," Karen said. There was a saddened tone to her voice that she spoke. She was glad that Alia gave her some strength. "Her name was Jaime….she had the same vivid green eyes just like yours….but there was a great tragedy where not too many people survived. It caused me to want to move to Metropolis."

"I'm sorry to hear about that," Kara said. "Did she die?"

"I don't know," Karen admitted. The most frustrating thing was that she honestly didn't know. Jaime just vanished in a flash of light and the next thing she knew, she ended up here.

It was hard to explain her origins to some people, because they were quite frankly a little bit confusing. She was not only an alien, but she was an alien in another universe and that was an equally frustrating thing.

"That really is tough to lose someone close to you," Alia said. She was going through the same thing with her mother, even though she was out of reach.

"Life goes on," Karen said, shaking her head.

Alia looked from Kara to Karen. She had a hunch, and it wasn't the first time she had this particular hunch. It just grew more pressing that she really wanted to verify this thing.

"Hey, Karen, are you doing anything on Saturday night?" Alia asked.

Karen racked her brain, but it was only for a fraction of a second. After all, her social calendar tended to be rather empty these days. Ever since Jaime disappeared in the great crisis, she had been trying to keep busy the best that she could and that meant that she was pretty much married to her work these days.

"Nothing that I know of, why?" Karen asked.

"I was wondering if you would like to go out and have dinner," Alia said. "If we're going to be working together, I think that we should get to know each other a bit better. And I'm buying, the best restaurant in Metropolis."

Karen thought that she had nothing left to lose.

"Sure it beats a nice of microwave dinners," Karen said. "It's a date."

Alia smiled, that sounded so natural coming out of Karen's mouth.

Karen had some questions regarding Kara as well that she wanted to ask Alia. There was no way that a girl who resembled her teenage self, with the same name was a coincidence. Not in the slightest.

* * *

Cassandra Sandsmark was safe and sound after her ordeal and none the worse for wear, and that pleased her mother. Helena was busy getting ready for her professional business lunch with Diana. She had a million questions for the Amazon Princess about her heritage.

"I wish that I would hurry up and turn fourteen already," Cassie grumbled. She shook her head and sighed. "That's when Alia is going to start training me. It is going to be so awesome, I'm going to kick so much butt!"

"Just remember to get your homework done, Cassie," Helena said. She was half distracted by what she was doing.

"It's a Saturday, the teachers have to be real sadists to give homework on the weekend," Cassie said. She threw her arms underneath her chest and stuck out her lip with a pout. "Okay, fine, I'll go and do it."

Cassie was mentally counting down the days until she turned fourteen. She would be practically an adult then, and she would go to High School, and that would be so awesome.

There was a knock on the door.

"I'll get that Cassie," Helena said. She made her way out. Cassie looked at her mother, in shock.

Her mother had her hair all done on, and she wore a bit of makeup. She was wearing contacts as opposed to her usual glasses and a nice black dress, that fit her body quite nicely. She wore some sheer stockings and a pair of high heel shoes, that she was having more trouble walking in.

"You look like a movie star, Mom," Cassie said, finally finding her voice.

"Well, aren't you a little charmer?" Helena teased, as she grabbed onto the wall to maintain the balance.

"Yeah, but the heels have to go…no offense, but they really aren't you," Cassie said.

Helena looked at her daughter and she sighed. She supposed that Cassie had a point. She kicked the heels off. She had a pair of boots near the door, that she could wear that looked nice enough. That hadn't been stained by the sludge of a million underground temples never the less.

She crossed the room and opened the door. Diana was standing there, dressed in a black dress that fit snugly to her body. Alia and Kara were there, dressed in more casual clothes.

"You look amazing, Helena," Diana informed her.

"You don't look too bad yourself, Diana," Helena said. "I'm almost ready, I just got to get on my shoes, and wait for Cassie's babysitter to…."

"Mom, I don't need a babysitter!" Cassie protested. She folded her arms and her mother gave her one of those looks in response.

"It seems like she has a lot of fire in her, doesn't she, Alia?" Kara asked.

"So, is Alia babysitting me?" Cassie asked suddenly. She supposed that the entire babysitter thing wouldn't be too bad if it was Alia watching her and not someone else entirely. At least that's what she guessed.

"Sorry, we're just swinging by to check up to see how everything is doing," Alia said.

Cassie folded her arms and stuck out her lip in a pout. Alia laughed and bent down, patting the younger girl on the head. The younger girl looked forward, looking a bit forlorn in the process, but she sighed.

"I guess that I'm doing fine," Cassie commented. "I mean, that weird guy kidnapped me, and he was creepy and weird, and old, and he was creepy."

"Yeah, he was very creepy," Kara said. She shuddered.

"He was really sick though," Alia said.

"Yeah, and his sons, they weren't much better, they talked about….well how they wanted to do things to me," Cassie said. Alia bent down and swept her into a hug. "But….that really didn't matter, because Circe turned them all into pigs….which was kind of funny. She is so cool, Circe is."

That caused Diana to feel like she got stabbed in the gut by some blunt force. The words of praise for Circe was a bit more than she can handle at this point in time. She shook her head, to try and avoid a sour feeling coming from her.

"Isn't she cool, Diana?" Cassie asked.

"Yes, very frozen," Diana responded.

"Sorry….sorry I'm late, I'm never really this late," Mary said. She stumbled her way through the door and nearly slipped on the rug.

"This is my babysitter?" Cassie asked. "Really?"

"She's tougher than she looks, trust me," Alia said. She ruffled Cassie's hair, and she frowned at her. "She babysits my twin sisters…and they can be quite a handful."

"Both handfuls actually," Mary corrected her. Alia smiled and she grabbed Mary around the neck and kissed her briefly and discreetly, but enough to stir up the woman.

"See you after work, Mary," Alia said.

"I don't think that I need a babysitter," Cassie said. She was kind of grumbling now more than ever before.

"Cassie, we've been through this," Helena said. "And don't think as Mary as a babysitter, think of her as a bodyguard, and one that you need, given that you got captured just a month ago."

Cassie hated to say that her mother had a point, but she had a point. The other women said there goodbyes.

"Only a few more months," Cassie reminded Alia.

"I know, you're really counting down the days," Alia said. Her fourteenth birthday would be when she started her training, but her sixteenth birthday would be the interesting point.

That is, if her theory on Cassie's heritage proved to be correct, and it seemed like it would prove to be correct to be honest, she would have an ascension ceremony around then.

Now that Cassie's minder was there, Diana and Helena could leave for their dinner and Kara and Alia could go off to visit Circe.

* * *

Kara and Alia appeared at Donna Milton's law office and they were surprised to see Thea Queen standing there.

"Hey, Thea, what are you doing here?" Alia asked.

"Alia, it's good to see you again!" Thea exclaimed. She smiled when she rushed her way towards her. "Oh, you know….I got a job working at Donna Milton's law office….guess that was her way for apologizing of taking too long to turn those pigs into….well pigs."

"Well, things are going to be very interesting," Alia said.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Thea commented. She frowned, her lips curling up. "But, it's just a standard law office as well. Gives me something to do to keep myself out of trouble, and as you know, I can get into a lot of trouble. And only some of it is my own fault."

Alia laughed. She did have a point. She smiled.

"Well, it was good talking to you," Alia said.

"Do, you think that I could ask you a question before you go?" Thea asked. That caused Alia to look at her and frown in response. But she gave Thea a sign as if she would not mind her saying anything. "Have you heard from Sara as of late?"

"No, I haven't, but there's no real sign that there's anything that's wrong with her," Alia responded.

"Oh, well I thought that I would have heard from her by now….she would have found a way to get in touch with me," Thea said. There was a part of her that seemed disappointed. "It's been a month since that insanity happened, but still….."

Thea looked a bit disappointed to be honest. She shook her head and allowed a sigh to escape her.

"I'll start with your training soon, if you want me to," Alia said.

"Oh, really, that will be great," Thea said.

She tried not to look too pleased, but she was really pleased to be honest. She showed a surprising amount of restraint from someone like herself.

"Hey, I'm always happy to help," Alia said with a smile. She leaned forward and brushed Thea's hair away from her eyes. "So, I'm here to see Circe….."

It hit Thea suddenly that there was something that she wanted to tell her.

"And she's up in her office, waiting for you, by the way," Thea said. She remembered that she had a note from Circe, telling her to send them up. "And she wants to see you straight away and she told me that you know the reason why."

"Well, we better get up there right away, and never keep her waiting," Alia said. She smiled and looked at Thea. "We better let you get on your way then….it was nice seeing you, Thea."

"Yes, it was good seeing you, too, Alia, and Kara too," Thea said. She obviously didn't want to offend Kara by not saying that it was nice to see her.

"Hopefully I can see a lot more of you soon," Kara said with a smile and the wink. She looked her directly in the eye.

Thea could not help, but think that she hoped to see a lot more of them as well. There was plenty of work to be done.

'_They're just lining around the blocks for you, aren't they?' _Kara asked. Alia smiled and grabbed her girlfriend's hand and she nodded in response. _'Well, I guess I pretty much answered my own question, didn't I?'_

'_Yes, they're lining around the block, and that's not a bad thing,' _Alia said.

They entered what appeared to be a nice study. There was an atmosphere right there.

"Glad that you come be here, Alia," Circe said. She greeted them. "And you as well, Kara, and I see that Diana couldn't quite make it."

Alia smiled and shook her head, "Diana had another engagement that she had to attend."

"Well, that's her business, isn't it?" Circe asked her. She offered the two of them a seat. "My private office is a bit more extravagant than my public office, but I figured that it would give us an ample amount of room for what I intend to do….I'm just waiting for my guest to arrive."

Alia wondered what she could mean about the guest. The side doors opened and a rather alluring, if a bit dark looking, dark haired woman dressed in black turned up. She looked at Alia, and smiled. Rowena walked behind her.

"This is Selene," Rowena informed her.

"As in the Black Queen, that Selene?" Alia asked.

"Yes, that one," Selene said. She smiled when she crossed the room and looked at the young woman, surveying her rather intensely. "It is rather nice to meet one of my great, several times over granddaughters….although most of my grandchildren are great. There are a few exceptions, unfortunately."

Selene was saddened by those exceptions, but what were you going to do. You couldn't be perfect all of the time, even though she hoped the very best for her grandchildren, all of them, it was just that they didn't really do as well as she thought that they could at times.

"Rowena and I have been in discussion about a way to bring your mother back, although it is a precise ritual," Selene said. "We have everything that we need, we only need one thing, a drop of your blood."

Circe frowned, "Are you sure that it will work?"

"If Lily is still teethered to the land of the living, it should work," Selene said. She opened up a gateway with her hand and it glowed.

Alia thought that she would try anything, to bring her mother back.

"Are you sure about this?" Kara asked.

"I have to agree with, Kara, there's a chance that this could go wrong," Circe agreed.

Alia wondered why Circe was reluctant to go through with this now. Selene turned towards Circe and Rowena did as well.

"If you don't trust Selene, then trust your own teachings," Rowena said. She looked at her mentor.

Alia walked into a glowing field. There was a rune that was resting on the stone that she was walking towards. She crossed the room and she could feel a shiver go through her body.

"Are you sure about this?" Kara repeated.

"We're certain that this would work, all Alia has to do is offer her blood as tribute," Selene said. "If it should work, then Lily's spirit will be reformed in a new, body, duplicated by Alia's own DNA."

"And if this doesn't work," Kara said. She figured that she wanted to play the devil's advocate.

"Trust me, I know that this will work," Alia said. She had to be confident in herself that this would work. If she wasn't confident in herself, then her magic wasn't going to work.

"If you're ready, we can do this," Selene said. "A small tribute of blood should do its job. Just drop it in the center circle and the magic will do the rest."

Alia dragged the blade across her finger and could feel a stinging pain. The blood dropped on the center circle.

For a moment, Alia thought that it work. She could see the spirit of her mother and the swirling vortex going through the light.

The only problem was that it was only a moment. There was a pained cry, it sounded like it was a Phoenix that was screaming in a blood curdling amount of agony. It caused Alia's head to feel like it was splitting in half.

She could hear Rowena say the words that no one wanted to ever hear when performing a magical ritual, "Something is going wrong."

Alia tried to force her mouth to work, to ask what was going wrong. Selene and Circe grabbed her and pulled out of the circle.

"No," Alia breathed heavily. She could feel her mother slip out of her grasp and she was back into the real world.

There was a loud crack and it felt like there was a tear through time and space. Selene and Circe teamed up to bring the tear closed.

"Something went through the tear," Circe said. She had her misgivings about this entire ritual, but it was down to Alia to make the decision.

"Something good or something bad?" Kara asked.

"Maybe both," Circe responded. She needed to track the device. "One of them landed in the middle of Metropolis."

That's where Alia was heading. It was her blood that caused the riff to be opened. Therefore, it was her responsibility to deal with anything.

* * *

A few moments later, Kara and Alia made their way down to the middle of the town square. A smoking crater blew smoke everywhere.

Alia dropped down and she saw a space pod in it. Kara approached her nervously.

"So, how dangerous is this?" Alia asked.

"It depends on what's inside," Kara said. She was looking around the pod. Morbid curiosity struck her in the worst way, at the worst possible time. She slowly stepped forward.

The pod opened and the smoke cleared. A tall beautiful alien with bronzed skin exited the ship. She looked to be well over six feet tall, with red hair and glowing green eyes. This alien had a body to die for. She looked around towards them and was speaking in an alien language.

"Tamarian, I think," Kara muttered. "But, I'm a little rusty….I think she's in trouble though."

The girl looked frustrated and she decided to take drastic action. She threw her arms around Alia and kissed the ever living hell out of her.

Alia was surprised, but given that she expected to be attacked, she got into the kiss a great deal. Her skin felt hot against her and Alia wrapped her arms around her, to deepen the kiss.

Things were about to get hot, in more ways than one.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	28. First Contact

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: First Contact.**

* * *

The kiss was extremely intense. The kiss deepened extremely with Alia's hands roamed each and every wonderful inch of the body of her alien visitor. She shivered underneath Alia's touch. Her hands combed her body.

The two of them broke the kiss for a moment, and the visitor was about ready to open her mouth. Alia attacked her with another fierce kiss. Her desire increased with each passing moment. Pleasure would be hers and hers alone.

The visitor didn't dare do anything, but kiss back. The pheromones in the air gripped her and caused the woman to attack her mouth in an extremely glorious fashion. Their tongues batted together.

The residual magic in the air from the failed ritual prompted Alia to attack this visitor. The fact this woman was essentially sex on two legs increased her desire. Her hands kept pinching and prodding at every single inch of this woman's skin.

Kara watched. She thought that she should say something. The only problem was that she found that her throat didn't quite work.

All she could do was watch the spectacle with glee. Kara ran her hand down her body. Her fingers brushed over her hard nipples. Seconds later, her hands traveled over her nipples. They hardened underneath her touch and it felt glorious.

Alia kissed her visitor harder. Her tongue pushed into the woman's mouth and sought entry. The woman opened her mouth further and took Alia's greedy tongue deeper into her mouth. She would have her pleasure.

The woman sighed when Alia nibbled on her lips. She thought that she was forgetting something important.

Oh well, if it was truly important it would come to her. This amazing brunette sure knew how to welcome her to Earth. Attentions started to get shifted from her lips. Alia kissed further down and suckled the side of her neck.

"More!" she moaned.

Alia obliged her. The Warrior Princess thought that things were about to get hot. In fact, things were going to get so hot that it hurt.

The Warrior Princess and this Alien Princess were about to clash and things were going to get really hot indeed. Thankfully, Alia managed to put up some charms to block out what was happening.

She didn't have any shame in her body or herself. That being said, it was best not to draw unnecessary attention to herself until she was finished.

* * *

The visitor rested in the crater. Her mind was completely blown and a soreness appeared in a few parts of her body. Not that she cared. For it had been a most satisfying encounter.

Kara adjusted her skirt. Alia offered her a hand and pulled her up.

"That was hot," Kara said. She took a moment to look around and added, "And I mean that a bit literally, you know."

She looked down at the visitor. With a smile, she decided to offer the girl a hand and lift her from the smoking crater.

The woman exited the crater, and she looked a bit dazed and a tad bit confused.

"My name is Princess Koriand'r!" she happily cried. Seconds later she paused and an extremely sheepish look went over her face.

Kara looked at her and tried not to bust a gut laughing. It was extremely hard to keep calm under these circumstances. Alia's look didn't help matters any, in fact it made her want to break out into laughter much harder.

"Kara!" Alia warned her.

Kara shook her head and shrugged.

"Sorry," she muttered.

The alien princess looked extremely sheepish and she took a moment to reconcile her thoughts before she spoke again.

"I guess I should have told you that before we started to make with the wild and passionate sex in the middle of one of your cities," Kori said. "I hope I didn't offend you."

Alia raised one of her eyebrows.

"Don't worry, you didn't offend us," Alia said. She reached forward and patted the girl on the head.

Kori looked in a bit better spirits. It was hard sometimes to keep track of the various cultures in the universe. Earth was one of the more diverse planets in the galaxy. They didn't have one global government unlike most planets. There were several governments that had each of their own national cultures. That was really odd compared to many planets Kori had been to.

It was oddly refreshing, Kori admitted.

"How did you come to be on Earth?" Kara asked.

"Oh, it was horrible!" Kori exclaimed. The look on her face showed that she had been through some kind of awful ordeal. "I was on a prison ship for five years and I just got away."

"You didn't belong there, did you?" Kara asked.

Sure that ass was so great that it was criminal, but there was no reason for her to be locked up.

"No, I didn't," Kori confirmed. She gave a heaving sigh which caused her naked breasts to jiggle. "It was…..well it was the fault of my sister. She framed me for a crime that I didn't commit."

Alia couldn't believe such a thing.

"I'm not sure how to get back home from here," Kori said.

"Don't worry, we'll figure out something," Alia said. She looked over her shoulder nervously and added, almost as an afterthought, "But I think that we better go."

Kara could see her girlfriend's point. The charms she put up to block the view of the sex would not last forever.

The moment the three girls disappeared, another rather attractive woman showed up. Her blonde hair came down past her shoulders. A tight black suit fit around her body and showed that she had an amazing body as well. Her breasts looked extremely round, her body was extremely fit, and her ass could stop traffic.

"Agent Danvers," the voice in her ear said.

"Yes, Agent Brand, what is it?" Carol Danvers asked.

"There are three hostiles, coming your way," Abigail Brand responded. "If I had to guess, they were going to follow that prison ship that landed."

"Agreed," Carol said. "I'm going to see if I can find out more about our visitor. See if she's a hostile or if she's friendly."

Carol had a pretty good idea where she could find those answers. Seconds before she left, she could have sworn that she saw three naked girls leave. It was a fleeing moment. She saw them though and one of them had extremely vivid green eyes.

* * *

The main prison ship looked to be a smoking crater. The crew on the ship was looking it over. It looked like there was hole that was sliced through it.

The warden on the ship didn't look too happy.

"Alright, you mutts, listen up!" he barked. "I need you to find out exactly what happened. If this was any of your faults….he'll have our head."

"Have your head for what?"

The warden was a hard-nosed man who didn't fear much. There was one thing that he did fear a lot though and that was the man who had just shown up as a holographic projection. The warden placed his hand on the top of his head and gave a weak salute.

"Emperor D'Ken, I didn't expect…"

"Well, it's obvious that you didn't expect," the Emperor of the Shi'ar said.

His cruelty was known throughout several galaxies over. D'Ken had been banished from the throne once before. His sister, Lilandra, had been put on the throne. Sadly, the Shi'ar still had problems and she was overwhelmed.

That allowed D'Ken and his allies to seize control back and lock the rightful Empress up. He didn't kill her for some reason. No one dared ask what the madman's reason was. A madman like that had no good reason for what he did, he just did.

"We had an accident, the ship got compromised," the warden told him. He suspected the truth was the best here.

"Your ship was compromised?" D'Ken asked.

The warden swallowed a growing lump in his throat and nodded. D'Ken narrowed his eyes when he looked down at the warden with an absolute amount of contempt.

"Is my sister secure?"

The warden turned to one of his guards who reported.

"Princess Lilandra is still in her cell," the guard said.

"Excellent," D'Ken said. He thought for a moment that the incompetence of the crew had allowed his sister to escape.

Despite his attempts to crush all rebellion, his sister still had her allies. If they had any hint of her return, then they would try and fight him. D'Ken could ill-afford that.

"The ship will be repaired," the warden said. "And we will get to the bottom of this."

"You best do so," D'Ken said.

The Emperor would find out who attacked his ship and he would crush them underneath his foot. They would pay. All would pay when they fought him. No one would dare oppose him. Soon he would have powerful allies and soon the Phoenix Force would be underneath his thumb.

"I have a list of all of the prisoners that should be secure," the guard said.

The warden snagged the list from him. They had rushed to check on the Princess to ensure she was still in place. The most high profile prisoner on this ship and she was also the one that D'Ken would have their heads for if she vanished.

"Is everything secure?" the warden asked.

"All of them are secure, but one," the guard said. He flinched when he backed off.

"One prisoner, we can handle that," the warden said.

"Scouter ships have already been out to find the rogue prison pod," the guard said.

"And what prisoner is it?" D'Ken asked. "I can tell by your voice and your tone, that you don't want to say, but I order you as your Emperor and the future ruler of all worlds to tell me! TELL ME!"

D'Ken's tone was one that would terrify the most hardened of men straight to the bone. The guards all winced in absolute terror.

"It's…the Tamarian," one of them managed. He had to nearly choke those words out.

D'Ken was not too happy about this development to put things mildly. He had big plans for the Tamarian and he eventually would invade her people and take all of the women as slaves. They were hedonists to the highest degree, but D'Ken wished to break them and make him toys to use as his own amusement.

"Find her!" D'Ken howled.

He sounded absolutely enraged to the point where it was scary. He looked like he was going to turn blue in the face and start ranting and raving.

D'Ken grabbed the side of his throne and breathed in and out.

The warden was glad that he was on the other side of a holographic projection. D'Ken looked fit to strangle someone from their failures. He felt sorry for the first person who would enter his throne room next. They were cruising for one.

The good news was that the slave ship repairs were nearly finished. The prisoners on the ships were there because some extremely powerful people greased the wheels. Or in the case of the Tamarian Princess, she had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The warden didn't care about innocence. He cared about the money that locking up these people would bring.

"They're tracked to Earth, sir," his navigator said.

"Yes, a primitive planet in an insignificant star system," D'Ken said. "I suspect you to find her and bring her back. I will punish her for her attempts to escape myself."

The warden, not for the first time mind you, was glad that he wasn't one of the prisoners.

* * *

Diana returned from her lunch with Doctor Sandsmark. She nearly ran into Fleur.

"Sorry about that, Diana," Fleur said. She looked over the Amazon Princess and she looked as delicious as usual.

"It's fine, Fleur, you're distracted," Diana said.

"Just my sister asking me a million questions about the process," Fleur said. "She doesn't realize that it's going to be ages before she reaches that point."

"Ah, little sisters, they can be impatient, Diana said. She nodded in sympathy. It took her a moment for her brain to reboot and remind herself why she was here. "You haven't see Alia, have you?"

"No, I haven't seen her all day," Fleur said. "I was hoping to eat her for lunch….I hope my English is up for par."

Diana smiled. It was up to par depending on whether or not she wanted that statement to have a load of innuendo in it or not. She smiled and shook her head. Amusement twinkled in her eyes.

Then that amusement faded when she realized that Alia and Kara had been meeting with Circe. Diana tried not to let the paranoia get to her. Her imagination began to run wild with different theories and different scenarios. She feared that something really bad might have happened to her sister and her girlfriend.

Diana let out the breath that she was holding when the door cracked open. She watched when Alia and Kara arrived. Both of them had smiles on their face.

Fleur and Diana both were blown away by the vision of beauty that entered the room with them. Diana's mouth hung open in surprise and she tried to figure out a way to make words come out, but her tongue was tied.

"This is Princess Koriand'r," Kara informed them.

She could have laughed. Two women who were beautiful in their own right being spell bound. Then again, how many times did you see a six foot four bronze skinned beauty with a body made for sin enter the room.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Diana said. She reached forward and shook the hands of her.

"You must be Diana, the older sister of Princess Alia," Kori said. She bounced up and down in excitement.

Fleur smiled. She was certainly exciting. Fleur's eyes followed her body when it bounced up and down. She could feel a slight amount of drool fall from her mouth. Fleur lifted her hand up and slowly wiped it away.

"So, you're not from around here, are you?" Fleur asked.

"No, I'm not….there was a rip in the universe and I managed to escape the ship that I was on through an escape pod," Kori said. She shuddered. Alia placed her arm around her.

Kara and Alia both could tell that this ordeal was one that she didn't want to talk about.

"We better find you something to wear," Kara said.

"Why would I need to be covered?" Kori asked.

Kara and Alia looked like they were having a silent conversation. They could, obviously, but they weren't at this particular point in time.

"Humans, they tend to get weirded out by human nudity," Alia said. "It is one of their more frustrating culture flaws, but regardless, nudity is a taboo for some reason."

"Although, it's a blessing for some people," Kara said. She shuddered.

Clothes were a shame if a person was in good shape. There were many people who weren't in good shape and thought that they were still God's gift to everything. It made Kara want to shudder.

"Well, I guess that I'm going to have to accept your culture while I'm here," Kori said. She beamed at both of them. "Thank you for letting me know, so I didn't offend anyone."

Alia was going to say that most people didn't have spontaneous sex as well, but that sounded a bit too much like complaining.

"I think I have some clothes that might fit you," Diana said.

"Oh, that is wonderful," Kori said.

Kori and Diana left the room. No sooner did she leave, Rose entered the room, and she looked fairly distracted.

"Hey, Rose, what's up?" Alia asked her.

"I just got the strangest phone call," Rose said.

Fleur thought that she should do a better job in defying strange. What was strange anymore? What was even normal?

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about an alien ship," Rose said.

"Well, you missed the alien princess just a few seconds ago," Alia said.

Alia spent a few moments to get Rose caught up to speed on what happened. To her credit, Rose listened to every word that was said. Rose nodded when she finished.

"What's wrong?" Alia asked her aunt.

"There's nothing wrong," Rose informed her. "It's just that someone who works with SWORD, wants to speak with you."

"Oh, they do?" Alia asked.

"I wouldn't worry too much about SWORD or SHIELD, we have our hooks in several top ranking members," Rose said.

'_And soon, you will have your tongue and your fingers and other things in those same top ranking members,' _Kara interjected. She sounded extremely amused.

Alia reached behind her and pinched her ass, which caused her to gasp.

'_Behave,' _Alia warned her.

"So, what do we need to do to set up this meeting and set the record straight?" Alia asked. "Because, I claimed this alien princess as one of my collective."

"I daresay you did based on the property damage downtown," Rose said. "And a meeting is already in the works, I just need your consent with it."

Kori returned and she was clothed, but no less hot. She dressed in a tight black skirt and an even tighter black skirt.

She didn't mean to complain, but she wondered how humans wore underwear? It felt so weird, pressing against her intimate bits so closely. It actually was oddly arousing to remember that Diana wore those panties that she was wearing at one point.

Diana assured her that they were clean, but that didn't make things any less arousing.

* * *

Carol was surprised that they got a meeting so soon. She turned to a woman with shocking green hair and a fairly fit body in a SWORD issued uniform.

"The Society would be on top of this," Abigail Brand commented.

Carol struggled to have the self-control not to say anything. It appeared that Alia was on top of the princess in another sense.

Speaking of which, Rose and Alia arrived. They were followed by Alia's girlfriend, Kara, and sure enough, the visitor was in the flesh.

"You must be Alia Evans," Abigail said.

"You must be Abigail Brand, the Director of SWORD," Alia said. She shook the woman's hand. "This is Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran."

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Kori exclaimed in a bubbly tone of voice.

"The pleasure is all mine," Abigail said.

"Sorry, I must have just missed you when I arrived on the scene," Carol said.

"Oh, don't worry, Princess Alia and Kara managed to take care of my needs really well," Kori said. "I had been locked in that cell for a very long time."

"I'm Carol Danvers," she added as an afterthought. "So, you're Alia Evans….."

"Yes, and you thought that I'd be younger," Alia said.

Carol blinked at these casual words.

"How did you know that I would say that?" she asked.

"I get that a lot," Alia said to her. She smiled. "Trust me….after all of the time that I spent on that island, I'm eighteen."

"So, she's perfectly legal and you can check out her ass," Kara said.

That caused Carol to sputter for a second, but she shook her head.

Abigail cleared her throat.

"It appears that the prison ship that you are on has sent hostiles our way," Abigail said. "In fact, we have proof that there are hostiles coming our way."

"Can SWORD stop them?" Rose asked.

"We might be able to stall them, but we don't have the firepower to stop them completely," Abigail said.

Rose looked at Alia.

"The satellites we're working on with STARR Industries might be able to repel them, but they're not in the air yet, and won't be for six months," Rose said.

"Yes, unfortunately, we don't have six months," Abigail said. She didn't mean to sound so short, but she was under a lot of pressure.

"What if I have another option?" Alia asked.

"Then, I'm all ears," Abigail said.

Alia lifted her hand up and walked off. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed up a number. She waited for it to ring through.

"Hello?" Thea asked.

"Thea, it's Alia, I really need for you to do me a big favor," Alia said. "It's kind of illegal, but the fate of the world hinges on it."

"How illegal are we talking about?" Thea asked.

"Very, illegal," Alia confirmed.

"What is it you're talking about?" Thea asked her.

"Could you get me access to the Queen Industries satellites?" Alia asked. "I need them to stop a alien invasion."

There was a long sigh of response over the phone.

"I can do it," Thea confirmed. "You never really have anything resembling a normal day, do you? Between vengeful gods and alien invasions…with all this shit happening, my training can't start soon enough…..I just got to steal my mother's computer, the access codes are on it….that shouldn't be too hard."

"Thank you, Thea, I owe you," Alia said.

"Yeah, you do," Thea agreed.

A few moments pass and Alia waited for that to happen.

"And we now have access," Alia said.

Carol and Abigail knew that Queen Industries had some extremely sophisticated satellites, but this did blow away everything that they knew.

"So, how long do we have?" Rose asked.

"Six hours, give or take," Abigail confirmed.

It was time for them to works some magic.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	29. First Attack

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: First Attack.**

* * *

There had been alien visitors to Earth before. A full-scale alien invasion on the other hand, that was fairly new territory. Alia and Carol stood side by side with each other. Alia hooked them into the Queen Industries satellites which had been a big help.

SWORD had their own resources, granted, and they were extremely useful. That being said, the Queen Industries satellites were a big help. Carol placed her hands over the console and leaned back.

"So, what do you think that we should expect?" Alia asked.

Carol's head snapped back and she looked at Alia. She had to admit that she was taken a bit off guard by this question. It was a good question and she spent a few minutes trying to go over it in her mind.

She decided to go for the more honest approach to her answer after a moment's contemplation.

"I think that it's best to expect anything," Carol replied to her. "I know that doesn't help all that much, or give you all that much information."

Alia thought that was fair enough. They were entering some uncharted territory. Carol and Abigail and the rest of SWORD did not know what to expect. Obviously, they had more than their fair share of alien visitors. A full scale invasion was something really new and Alia didn't know what to expect from it.

She figured that they would know in a matter of moments. At least that's what she guessed.

"They called SWORD a grievous waste of taxpayer resources."

It was at that point where Abigail turned up. Carol turned around to face her boss.

"Well, we're going to be worth the taxpayer's money now, I think," Carol informed her.

Abigail nodded. There was still a lot of work to do.

"There's proof that other life is out there," Alia said. Both women turned their attention to her. Satisfied that she had their attention, Alia continued, "And no offense, Earth is behind the curb. We need to catch up, unless we want to be left behind."

"Oh, there's no offense," Abigail said.

All of the amazing alien technology she saw was obvious. Anyone with half of a brain in their head would realize that Earth had a lot of catching up to do. SWORD hoped to give them the teeth they needed. At least the teeth they needed to prevent them from getting destroyed.

"The drones are just circling," Carol said. She brought up more information. "They haven't fired just yet."

"So, that's good?" Alia asked.

"I'm not sure how good it is," Carol said. "They haven't crossed the barrier."

"If they were hostiles, wouldn't they have blown straight through?" Alia asked.

"Maybe," Kara said. She joined the group in question. "But, they could just be waiting for orders."

"We've got an incoming message," Abigail informed them.

That could be good, or that could be bad. Actually, given the circumstances, Abigail was going to put money on this being extremely bad.

"Put it on line," Alia suggested.

Abigail Brand could have assumed she was giving the orders. The Director of SWORD decided to indulge the Warrior Princess for a moment. A button pressed in and an image flickered on the screen.

Kara gasped. Carol turned towards he rand raised her eyebrow. Perhaps it was just her, but that gasp didn't sound good.

"That's D'Ken," Kara said. She shook her head for a second and returned back to the conversation. "He is the Emperor of the Shi'Ar, or at least that he was. And I guess he somehow put himself back on the throne."

That was seldom good when some crazed emperor put himself back on the throne. Alia bit down on her lip and shook her head. She gave a prominent and extremely heaving sigh. She realized something.

"I think that he's going to talk," Alia said.

Carol groaned and shook her head. She knew enough that when the villains started to talk, that was seldom good.

'_So, you're all where you need to be, aren't you?' _Alia thought.

'_Yes,' _Diana said.

The other girls confirmed that they were right where they needed to be. Alia looked over her shoulder. Kori turned up to walk behind Carol, Alia, and Abigail. She turned up just in time to see D'Ken start ranting.

"People of the Earth, you may not have heard of me. I find you to be an uneducated and primitive race that I have not spared the slightest thought of. At least, until now. Until one of my prison pod ships have landed on Earth. It was a malfunction and I will be sending my people to Earth in an attempt to reclaim the prisoner. It is likely that you are ignorant about this. Therefore, I will send my people to your world. They will collect the prisoner."

Kara thought that this was oddly subdued for someone of his likes. She frowned when she watched him.

She spoke too soon.

"I don't think that any of you will stop me," D'Ken continued. His eyes widened and he looked crazed. "But, here's a word to warning. If anyone on your planet tries to stop me, I will crush you. None of you could able to stop me. None of you have the ability to stall me. NONE OF YOU CAN STAND UP TO ME! I WILL CRUSH YOU ALL!"

D'Ken's tone grew rather angry and it was obvious that he was losing his mind.

"Stand down, and I will show you mercy," D'Ken said. "My visit will be significant, but painless."

"Yeah, believe that guy, like that's going to happen," Kara said.

"My drones will be crossing your barrier, I suggest you turn off your primitive defenses," D'Ken said. "Otherwise, I will flatten all who oppose me into a pancake."

"Does he ever shut up?" Carol asked. He continued to rant when she asked that question.

"No!" Kori and Kara exclaimed in unison with each other.

"Advanced Guard is almost there, but they won't reach Earth," Abigail informed them.

"Good," Kara said. "But, this is only going to piss him off."

"Not if we can find the ship that he's on," Alia said.

Kori shook her head. She took a long look at the décor and gasped.

"He's on the same ship that I was imprisoned on," she said.

* * *

Kara, Alia, and Carol moved off to head off the advanced guard. The trio of girls knew what was at stake and they knew that they had to head off the ship before it arrived at Earth.

"So, he was on the throne, and then he was taken off," Carol said.

"Yes," Kara confirmed. "He tried to take over Krypton. General Zod managed to stop him and cause him a humiliating defeat."

"Well, I can't say that I'm too disappointed about that fact," Carol said.

"Yes, he was disgraced and exiled from the throne," Kara added. "The problem was that when he was exiled off of the throne, the Shi'ar was split down the middle. When Krypton was having their own problems, they were in the midst of a civil war. Empress Lilandra apparently lost her position."

Alia looked at her girlfriend. She shrugged in response.

"I'll be honest," Kara said. "I'm only guessing. D'Ken being back on the throne means that his followers won the civil war. At least that seems like the most likely thing."

Kara hated to admit that. That bastard back on the throne, it would have been a lot better if he and Zod had wiped each other out. Granted, she wasn't sure how long Krypton had before it got destroyed. It was always marked for doom because of numerous really stupid things that happened over the years. It caused her be frustrated about the entire mess to be perfectly honest.

"Just thinking about what was," Kara said. She sighed.

"I know that you are," Alia said.

"And you know that I should focus on what is now," Kara said.

Alia squeezed her hand and smiled.

They could worry about what was going on later. The two girls found themselves dressed in similar uniforms.

"These uniforms are able to allow us to travel out in space," Carol informed the two girls.

"And it fits quite nicely against us, doesn't it?" Kara asked.

"Yes, pretty much," Carol added. "Sorry, if it's tight. It wouldn't work if it wasn't so form fitting."

"Hey, we have no problem, do we?" Alia asked.

Kara shook her head. She grinned when she saw Carol take the lead. She was bent over the console and the material stretched over her ass. That caused Kara to watch her in an extremely appreciatively manner. Hunger flashed through her eyes when she scanned her eyes over her ass.

Alia grabbed Kara by the shoulder.

"Sorry, I'm just appreciating the view," Kara said. She said that she was sorry, but she didn't seem too sorry.

Alia's fingers brushed down the back of Kara's neck. She could feel her touch through the thin material of the suit. Alia approached Kara and whispered in her ear.

"Don't worry, I know," Alia informed Kara.

"Do you?" Kara asked.

"Yes," Alia confirmed with a smile on her face. "So, are you ready to do this?"

"I'm ready, if you're ready," Carol said.

The doors of the SWORD headquarters opened up. The three women made their way outside and walked out into a small ship that had been rigged up.

"Now, I have to warn you about one thing," Carol informed them. Kara and Alia turned around towards her and raised their eyebrows in response. "The ship hasn't been completely tested yet."

"Well, we have to test it sometime," Alia said. She smiled when Carol opened it to get them both inside. "The real question is can you fly it?"

"Of course I can fly it," Carol said. She sounded almost insulted by the fact that they said such a thing.

"Just making sure that you can," Alia said.

The ship left and Carol got the coordinates of the ships to the targeting computer. She hoped that she could make it.

"Well, there's always Plan B," Kara said.

"What's Plan B?" Carol asked. She thought she should have been briefed about this, if there was a plan B.

"Us," Alia confirmed. "We're the Plan B."

"Oh, that makes a lot of sense," Carol commented. She locked onto the targeting of one of the ships.

She was going to blow it straight behind. The targeting component locked onto the ship and fired onto it.

Carol realized that she made a declaration of war. The rocket cut through the air and blasted through the first of the ships.

They started to fire back upon her. Kara stepped her way inside one of the pods and Alia stepped her way inside the other.

"Hold the line, Carol, we're going to do something reckless!" Kara called for her.

That was always bad news, anyone doing anything reckless.

Kara and Alia left the ship and they flew into the really big ship. Both of them held hands and a beam of light shot from it.

Alia wasn't sure if they could pull this off. This was one of those theory attacks that she wasn't sure that they could pull out in practice. Thankfully it worked. The beam fired through three of the ships and caused them to burst into flames.

Determination flooded through the eyes of the Warrior Princess. The rightful empress was imprisoned by this bastard. Kori had a good idea that Lillandra might have been on that prison ship with her brother.

If she had a good idea, then Alia accepted it. She was determined to liberate them.

The ships were piloted by computers. The coordinates went back to the general area where they traced the ship.

It gave them more than a general area to track the ship back. A smile passed over Alia's lips. It was showtime now.

The two of them returned to the ship.

"Did you really need to do that?" Carol asked. She asked that the moment that she found her breath.

"No, we really didn't need to do that," Alia confirmed. "Let's go….I've got the coordinates."

"Well, you know where we're going," Carol said. She smiled. "Lead the way."

* * *

Lillandra wondered where this all went wrong. She found her way onto the throne in the midst of pure chaos from the Shi'ar empire. They had just ended the war with Krypton and they ended it in a very bad place. General Zod had showed mercy against the people.

At least what he assumed to be mercy. In reality, that mercy was something that had been misplaced. They had been disgraced and completely weakened. D'Ken was ousted from the throne in a coup and exiled.

Lillandra found herself on the throne. It was in a vain attempt to try and get together her people, from falling into complete war. It was a war from three factions, and she hated to be caught in the middle of it.

Footsteps could be heard. Lillandra turned her head and she could see D'Ken approach her.

'_Here we go,' _Lillandra thought. She could set her watch by her brother's visits.

Not to mention his rants, his extremely psychotic rants, that was something that she could set her watch by. The woman's arms folded over her chest when she waited for him. Her chest rose and it lowered when she sighed.

"Lillandra, you continue to rot in this cell," D'Ken told her.

This was one rant that she was used to.

"Are you waiting for someone to save you?" D'Ken asked. "The Shi'ar needs someone who will rule over them with an iron fist. They don't need someone who doesn't know what they're doing."

"Yes, because you truly knew what you're doing, hence why you lead our people into a war with General Zod," Lillandra said. "You're only barely holding things together, aren't you?"

"Mind your tongue, little sister!" D'Ken yelled.

He reached through the cell and he was shocked. The security function worked both ways. The shock made him reconsider his actions.

"Do you understand why I haven't killed you yet?" D'Ken asked. His eyes flashed with anger.

"I don't have the slightest idea," Lillandra informed him.

She thought that she wouldn't have a good idea regarding why someone like D'Ken wouldn't try and kill her. He was completely insane.

And she was sure that he was going to tell her in great detail. Lillandra could once again set her watch by the rants that he made. She waited and sure enough, he didn't disappoint.

"I want you to see everyone who put their faith in you as a ruler get crushed. The poor souls who thought that you would be a better ruler than I would be, I want them to be proven wrong. They will be utterly destroyed. And they will be broken."

"Of course," Lillandra said.

"You think that there's a hero that's going to come and save you," D'Ken said. "No one will get me off of the throne, not after the resources that I have gotten thanks to my partner."

Lillandra shook her head in agitation. D'Ken and his partner, she almost forgot, but not really. He would never let her forget, because he would never shut up about his partner.

"And your partner is going to ensure that myself and the rest of the prisoners stay on the ship," Lillandra said.

"My partner is going to ensure that yourself and the rest of the prisoners do not escape," D'Ken said. It was almost as if he didn't register her mocking him and his constant ability to speak like an echo.

Lillandra could really say this speech word for word.

"And the Phoenix Force will be mine," D'Ken added as an afterthought.

Lillandra could hardly believe that he was still on about that. That was one of the things that he ranted about. His mad quest was to acquire the Phoenix Force and cause havoc over the entire universe.

"You think that, don't you," Lillandra muttered.

"Do you think that you could stop me?" D'Ken asked. "You're weak, just like the people of Earth."

"Yet, you can't recapture one prisoner from Earth," Lillandra said.

D'Ken turned around and walked off. He had warned the people of Earth not to interfere in his attempts to reacquire the prisoner. He warned them and they decided to go against him. They tested his patience.

Lillandra was sure that her brother would return. It was a good thing that he was distracted. His constant rants could be rather tiring. And by rather tiring, she meant really tiring.

Granted, they meant the same thing, more or less.

* * *

Carol arrived outside of a rather filthy looking prison ship. She wasn't sure what to expect here. The obvious answer would be that no expectations would be low enough where she ended up here.

"So, we're here," Carol muttered.

"Yes," Kara agreed.

The ship landed on the deck of the ship. Kara, Alia, and Carol exited the ship. Kara walked forward.

"I think that we're locked out, though," Carol informed them.

Kara's lips curled into a slightly smug smile.

"I don't think there's going to be a problem getting us in," Kara said. "All we need to find is a black panel, emitting a red light."

Alia craned her neck and was on the hunt with what her girlfriend asked about. She turned her head from the left and to the right, and made her way back over to the panel.

She wiped some dust off of the panel. Blinking lights came off of it.

"You mean like this?" Alia asked.

"Perfect," Kara said. "Should be child's play to get it."

Her mother taught her how to hack through these things a long time ago. It really wasn't that big of a deal.

Carol watched impressed. The doors slid open and that allowed the three of them to enter.

The doors shut behind them. It was a good thing that they did, for a rather rough group of guards walked all through the deck of the cell.

"So, do you think that he's going to do it now?" one of them asked.

"Do what now?" one of the guards asked.

"Don't play dumb, you know what he's going to do," another guard said. "Do you think that D'Ken is finally going to grow the balls and off his sister?"

"You know, I don't know," the guard said. "But, I wouldn't call the Emperor someone without balls to his face."

"I'm not telling it to his face," the first guard commented. "I'm telling it to you, unless you want to snitch on me."

The guard shook his head. They continued their patrol down the hallway. They thought that they saw something. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, there was no one down that hallway. They could have sworn they heard a door open.

"I'm no snitch, and he's the guy that will shoot first and ask questions never," the guard argued. "And you know, that bastard is going to shoot the messenger."

They shined a beam of light down the hallway.

"Wouldn't be surprised if this place had vermin," the guard muttered. "That could be what made all of the noises that we thought was someone breaking in."

"You mean other than the prisoners here?" one of the younger guards asked.

This patrol made their way to the other end of the hallway. The passed D'Ken's elite guard. They stared them down. It was almost like they knew about the guards talking about their boss.

The two groups passed each other without incident after an uncomfortable amount of silence.

Alia, Kara, and Carol followed the guards. They were pretty sure that they would be lead straight to the Empress if they kept going down there.

"So, do you think that she's down here?" Carol asked.

"Almost sure of it," Alia said.

There was another panel. Kara stepped back and she hacked into it like it was nothing.

The doors slid open and there was a large empty cell where they were sure that Kori was. Kara made her way down, along with Alia and Carol.

Lillandra heard the footsteps approaching her and she looked up.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Empress Lillandra?" Alia asked.

"Yes, I am," Lillandra said. Her mouth was dry as cotton and she could barely speak.

The rightful Empress of the Shi'ar had not drunk anything in some time. She was rather weak because of it.

"We're here to get you out of here," Kara said.

"You should have never come, D'Ken will kill you," Lillandra said.

"D'Ken is already going to kill myself and Alia when he realizes what we are," Kara said. Carol raised her eyebrow at that statement and wondered what Kara meant by that.

She really didn't have much time to think about that.

"You do realize that when this cell opens, the entire place is going to go nuts, right?" Carol asked.

"Yes, I'm aware of that," Kara said.

She activated a panel on the cell and it flashed open. True to form she opened the cell and alarms started to blare.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	30. Infilitration

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Infiltration. **

* * *

Alia took a moment to scope out the odds. Twelve heavily armed men took on a group of three super powered women. The odds looked rather grim, for the men at least. The men pointed guns at Carol, Kara, and Alia. The leader took a bold step forward towards the women.

"You women should just stand down and know that you've been beat," the guard said gruffly. The man spat on the ground. "No one needs to get hurt."

The trio of women gave him a look.

"Stand down, or we will put you down. You can't hope to win."

Alia answered the guard's bold claim by one roundhouse punch to the face. The man dropped down to the ground like nothing. The guards started to fire upon the trio of heroines.

Kara's eyes lit up. Two beams of heat fired forward. The heat vision sliced the weapons and the men in question screamed in horror. The Kryptonian warrior rushed in. Fists of fire rattled the men. Kara bounced from one to the other like a super powered ping pong ball. The fists of the girl really knocked them down.

Three of the men dropped to the ground. One tried to club the intruder from behind. Alia swung her lasso. The rope fastened around the waste of the guard. The warrior princess tugged on the lasso. The man did a pivoting swing, right into the roundhouse right from the warrior princess. The man crumpled down on the ground.

Carol thought being in the thick of things was insane. That was how the buxom blonde liked it. The guards advanced on the agent of SWORD.

These guards underestimated the fact they were up against three women. Carol figured it was high time to correct that misconception.

"Come on, is that the best you bitches got?" one of the guards asked. "I came here for a fight, not a sewing circle."

Carol's eyes rolled into the back of her head at these words.

"For the record, he was asking for it," Carol said.

An energy blast ricohetted across the hallway. The armor worn by one of the men doubled the men over.

Alia looked nervously over her shoulder. The pitter patter of footsteps of more men caused the warrior princess to grow fairly anxious indeed.

"We need to regroup and have a better strategy," Alia said.

"Any idea how we do that?" Kara asked.

"This way!"

Lillandra spent plenty of time getting to know this prison ship. The girls trusted the Empress's opinion. The four women made their way down the hallway. The closed quarters forced their pursuers to split up into smaller groups.

The Empress thought the easiest thing in the world would be to sit back and take what was being dished out. The flaw in that plan was Lillandra never did go for the easiest thing in the world. The biggest mistake the disposed Shi'ar leader could have made was letting her guard down. That put the monarch in prison.

Now it was time for the woman to return the favor, with interest.

"I've been on this ship for too long, and the guards think that I'm a pushover, well, that's their mistake," Lillandra said. "As the rightful Empress of the Shi'ar, I command you to step away, or suffer the consequences!

The guards laughed. Kara and Alia looked at each other and went into a silent conversation.

'_They really have a deathwish, don't they?' _Kara asked.

'_She looks pretty serious,' _Aia commented.

That folly proved to be a bit dangerous for the guards. Lillandra bowled them over like these goons were nothing. The Shi'ar Empress cut a path through the enemies that threatened the group. Some fell to the ground.

The doors broke open. More were on the way. Alia sighed.

"My brother has this refusal to just let things go," Lillandra said.

"It would have saved him a lot of grief," Alia said.

A dagger hurled in the air from Alia's hand and knocked the guards over. The guards crashed to the ground like ninepins.

Another problem, D'Ken refused to let this go. Kara decided to do the job for the Emperor. Kara's lips pursed together.

A gust of wind flew down the hallway. The wind toppled the Shi'ar goons like ninepins. The girls watched a comical sight when the guards attempted to fight the wind. The gust proved to be too powerful. The goons continued to slip and slide in an attempt to hold themselves up. Their knees cracked and the guards fell over. D'Ken's goons crashed against the wall.

Lillandra slammed onto a button.

"Hang onto the walls, and do not let go!" Lillandra ordered them.

The girls found out why the monarch told them to hang on. The goons found themselves sucked out of the fabric of space. All of them spiraled out of control.

Alia watched. On one extent, that might be going a bit too far. On the other hand, Alia honestly didn't care. The guards fired upon the party first.

The simple fact the guards chose to align themselves with a madmen.

Lillandra hung onto the wall. The Empress was about ready to speak. Carol beat the leader of the Shi'ar to the punch.

"That might have been a tad bit extreme," Carol said.

The Empress shrugged and decided to defend her actions.

"Perhaps," Lillandra conceded. The woman shut the doors and allowed them to let go of the wall. "But these are hardened murderers. And their biology will allow them to thrive in space for long enough to find a way to save themselves.

Alia could buy that. Alien biology was far different. Kara nodded.

"It's true, a few races can function in space for a short time without any kind of protection," Kara explained.

Again, the warrior princess could buy what Kara was saying. The group passed a corner and were allowed a few seconds to catch their collective breath.

Kara and Alia turned to Lillandra. The two girls once again seemed to speak to each other without talking. Again, a fact which was the case given the telepathic connection both warriors shared. The bonded couple linked themselves to each other. Reading each other's emotions came second hand.

Alia's full attention turned toward to the exiled Shi'ar Empress.

"I would like to thank you for your help, even though it was unwise to come here," Lillandra said. "But, thank you none the same."

Lillandra's gratitude was well appreciated by Alia, but she thought the Empress had missed the point.

"This ship is extremely dangerous," Alia said. "And I'm royalty myself."

"You are?" Lillandra asked.

"Yes, you doubt it?" Alia asked. Lillandra frowned and shook her head.

"The way you carry yourself, how could you be anything, but?" Lillandra asked.

"Then, I need to know exactly how your brother found his way back on the throne," Alia said. "I'm really baffled."

A sheepish expression spread over Lillandra's features. The former monarch took a moment to mentally go over what needed to be explain to Alia. Given both women were royalty, Lillandra felt more inclined to be straight to Alia.

"My brother was exiled," Lillandra explained. "It was after the war we had with Krypton. I was elected to put together the pieces. An alien ship ran into a planetoid that he had been imprisoned on. Upon that ship, there was a powerful computer, that intended to wipe out all life. From what D'Ken has said, he cut a deal with the ship."

Alia let that all set in. That would explain how D'Ken wormed his way back on the throne after being exiled.

The most surprising result of this conversation had to be how grim Kara's demeanor grew. Alia grew concerned and placed her hand on Kara's shoulder. That simple action made Kara jump about ten feet in the air.

"What's wrong?" Alia asked.

Alia felt seriously concerned. Kara seemed seriously weirded out about something or other.

Kara figured this might come back around. The past haunted the best of people after all. The Kryptonian warrior drew in breath before coming clean about one of her mother's greatest failures.

"I know what the computer is. It is called the BrainInteractive Construct. This computer was a super computer that intended to watch over the people of Krypton. It was based off of a computer my mother made for her university project, called Indigo. Those idiots in the council corrupted the computer."

Alia squeezed Kara's hand. The Kryptonian appreciated the gesture and continued.

"The computer denied anything was wrong with Krypton. It downloaded all of the information on the planet and saved itself. My mother put me on a ship, to go after Clara and well…..the rest you know."

One long explanation later, Alia, Carol, and Lillandra all looked at Kara. The Kryptonian teenager responded by lifting her hands up into the air with an expression of supreme disgust to match.

"I'm responsible for this in a way," Kara said.

"No, Kara, you aren't," Alia said.

"My mother…she created it, and it's a legacy that haunts me to this day," Kara fired back.

Alia smiled and hoped to give Kara reassurance.

The only problem was that reassurance would have to wait. Another fairly annoying problem presented itself.

"You think yourself as pretty clever, don't you?"

D'Ken walked up towards them. The Emperor of the Shi'ar looked assured that nothing was going to happen to him. In fact, the crazed dictator walked with a purpose.

Alia cringed. The warrior princess realized what was about to happen.

The man opened his mouth and was about to give a monologue. The monologue never occurred.

Alia took about two steps forward and sunk a fist into D'Ken. A second punch drilled D'Ken across the jaw. The Shi'ar emperor crashed down onto the ground. Alia jumped up and drilled a huge curb stomp down across the head of the Emperor.

D'Ken fell unconscious. Seconds later, Alia wrapped the crazed man up. The warrior princess took extra care to gag the man to ensure that he didn't spout off.

Lillandra looked down. Anyone could tell that amusement swam through the eyes of the Shi'ar empress.

"Again, you have my gratitude," Lillandra said.

Anyone who shut her brother up and stopped him from going into an overblown speech would have that gratitude.

Alia smiled. Kara broke out into a raucous fit of laughter. Carol looked fairly amused. Several seconds passed before both women had a chance to calm themselves down.

"Let's go find Brainiac," Alia said.

"I believe he might be in the throne room," Lillandra said.

"Your brother has a throne room on a prison ship?" Carol asked with eyes widened. The second this statement was given, her mouth hung open.

"My brother is vein."

Carol could buy that explanation. Any further questions would have to wait for time ran short.

Time ran short. Alia figured it was high time for them to go to the throne room. The throne room would be where Alia, Kara, and Carol would find the true mastermind behind this entire scheme.

* * *

Carol, Kara, and Alia crossed the throne room. The first impression the group received was a room that was extremely dark. No light appeared to guide their way.

Alia turned around. Tension rose over her body and it might have been for really good reason that it did so.

The Amazon Princess and instincts proved to be a potent combination as usual. Lights kicked to light in the throne room.

Resting on a console in the middle of the throne room was an extremely prominent black box. The box had an intricate design. A set of three blue lights forming an upside down triangle started to flash.

Kara's theory proved to be correct. The past came back to haunt them. Alura's project was more corrupted than she thought.

Alura lived no longer and Kara lived to deal with the sins of the past. And deal with them she would. Kara took an anxious step forward.

"I wondered when you would come here, Kara Zor-El. It was only a matter of time before you showed yourself."

Carol thought about it and came to the unfortunate conclusion a computer that spoke was not exactly the most comforting thing in the world.

"You no doubt attempt to stop me," Brainiac said. "I will tell you that your attempts to do so, is illogical. Since the demise of Krypton, the BrainInactive Construct has destroyed and assimilated the knowledge of twenty two planets. The Shi'ar will be the latest race to fall. All organic life is redundant and will fall."

"Great, an egomaniac computer, that's what we need," Carol said. "Must be a plug around here somewhere."

"The BrainInteractive Construct is nothing like the primitive computer models that have been created by Earth," Brainiac said. "Humans are the most redundant of all, but their information will be acquired for the sake of completing my program. Resistance is only a momentary distract prior to your destruction."

Brainiac's declaration rang ominously through their ears. Kara's hands rested upon her hips. Disbelief followed soon after. How much had this computer been corrupted? Kara felt an icy feeling spread over her body.

"The destruction ends here," Kara said.

"I find it hard to conceive that you could stop me," Brainiac fired back.

Kara refused to let it cause any more destruction. The blonde Kryptonian flew towards the computer console. Fingers started to fly in an attempt to break into the system and find a way to get Brainiac out of the system.

An attempt to override a sophisticated computer was easier said than done. Kara saw it out of the corner of her eye. Several red lights flicked and several security drones moved forward.

Alia and Carol turned towards the drones. Said drones had heavy fire power. Dangerous, enough to take down some hardened prisoners. The fact the drones had such firepower made perfect sense because they did find themselves as part of a prison ship.

"Keep trying to get in!" Carol yelled.

"We got your back!" Alia yelled.

Smashing drones never ceased to be fun.

Kara appreciated their support and was glad that they had her back. Hacking into an alien computer was a lot easier when drones did not fire at someone.

Carol channeled a huge blast of energy and fired it. The beam connected at one of the drones. The drone ripped in half. Carol slammed a vicious punch into it. The marvelous heroine slammed a hand down across the top of the dome of the enemy.

Alia flipped up into the air. The warrior princess accomplished a series of death-defying acrobatic maneuvers that caused the drones to keep firing in an erractic and insane manner. The idea was to trick these drones into wiping each other out.

The idea succeeded. The drones blew each other out.

Another click echoed and Alia figured more would be on the way.

"Good more, I just barely started breaking a sweat," Alia said.

"We should do this more often," Carol said.

Kara kept attempting to access the computer. The alien teenager hit a huge snag. The system locked out any attempts to get it.

The most galling thing was that Kara was not certain whether or not Brainiac was blocking her now. The security could have been all Shi'ar.

"Damn it, the firewall is apparently good for keeping everything, but Brainiac out!" Kara crused.

"Off to the side, please."

Lillandra nudged Kara out of the way. The Empress entered the system. The security walls disabled.

Now Kara could get it and it was surprisingly easy to get it. A few more commands. Kara found the core programming.

"Okay, let's see if I can get you to default back to factor standards."

Only one way to find out and that was to try it. The core programming looked to be still intact. The modifications the council made ensured that Brainiac left a whole lot to be desired.

The drones fried. Energy bolts traveled from one to the other. The computer controlling them being reset caused them to fly aimlessly and without a purpose.

Alia watched when the drones crashed together. Disappointment spread over the warrior princess.

"Ah, I was just getting started," Alia said.

Carol laughed at her pouting.

"I'm sure that someone else will try to kill you with robot drones eventually," Carol reassured her.

Carol's statement proved to be all too accurate. Alia pulled herself away from any kind of disappointment and leaned towards Kara.

"I think that I reset it," Kara said.

"You think, or you know?" Alia asked her.

"We'll know in a minute," Kara said. The Kryptonian warrior punctuated this statement with a shrug.

No sooner did Kara say this, a metal ball rose from the console. A blinding pink light erupted from it.

Kara thought that this was the moment of truth. Did she manage to bring Brainiac back to factory default?

"Thank you for freeing me," Indigo said. Her voice was soft, female, and nothing like the hard voice Brainiac had been given. "What have I done?"

The realization Indigo caused horror to appear through the AI.

"There is no way you could blame yourself for that, you were trapped underneath layers of faulty programming," Kara said.

"But, yet, you took full responsibility that I was created thanks to your mother's work," Indigo said. Her tone grew more ragged. "I wish to atone for my past sins. Surely there was something that I can do."

"We should give her an opportunity to make right for what her flawed programming did," Kara said.

Alia thought that made perfect sense if anything else. Kara turned to her sister with a gentle smile. A brilliant idea came to her.

"Indy, I have a proposal for you, if you would like to hear it."

* * *

"D'Ken has been locked up and this time, he won't be getting out. The prison ship has been secured and Kara and Alia managed to reprogram the box on the ship. SWORD should go through the items we compensated on the ship. My recommendation is to do it off grid, in case there is something to infect the system. But as always, I will leave the final decision up to your best judgment."

Abigail allowed Carol to finish giving the report on it. The Prison Ship had been taken over by SWORD. The prisoners on board the ship would need to be handed over to the Guardians as per protocol.

D'Ken was off of the throne and that was one less headache. This particular adventure did teach Abigail one extremely important thing though.

"SWORD's security is among the best on Earth, but it isn't a drop on the bucket compared to what is out there," Abigail said.

Alia remembered what she, Kara, and Indy had discussed on their way back. The solution against future alien threats would be obvious. The warrior princess took a step forward and explained things to Abigail.

"Now that Brainiac has been purged, and Indigo has been returned to her factory standards," Alia said. "Kara, Indy, and I are willing to allow SWORD access to the programming, as a monitoring system and a source of data. It wouldn't be full control and any modifications would need to be run past Kara or me."

"Hmm, that's interesting," Abigail muttered. The SWORD director looked thoughtful.

"Indigo's a valuable piece of technology, and would be collecting dust until SLE and STARR get their satellites online next year," Alia said. "We might as well both her to good use."

Abigail thought that this was an amazing asset to SWORD. Granted, SWORD wouldn't have full control, but having one person have full control of something like Brainiac would be how this problem occurred in the first place.

The Director of SWORD thought about it and made her decision.

"I accept the terms, and we can discuss how it would be implemented further in the next couple of days," Abigail said.

Alia and Kara both thought that this could work out in a rather wonderful way.

Kori joined them. Lillandra noticed the Tamarian Princess approaching. Sorrow spread over the Empress. Inside information on what D'Ken's eventual plans were for Kori and the entire Shi'ar race as a whole did nothing to ease any kind of guilt she experienced.

Lillandra crossed the room to talk with the Princess.

"Princess Koriand'r?"Lillandra offered her. "I would have to offer my most humblest apologies for what you suffered."

"You cannot be held accountable for that," Kori said.

"I feel as if more care would have been given to what was going on, D'Ken wouldn't have been on the throne," Lillandra said.

Kori reached forward and placed a hand on Lillandra's shoulder.

"You cannot hold yourself to blame, Empress Lillandra," Kori said gently.

"Thank you," Lillandra said and she meant that. "So, what will you be doing?"

"Staying on Earth and resting until the time where I feel the need to return home," Kori said. "Where home is….that might be hard to gauge from Earth. Alia will help me though, I know it."

Alia waited for this conversation to conclude. The Amazon Princess stepped across the room. Lillandra, the now once again Empress of the Shi'ar, turned to face Alia.

"Seems like there's a lot of work that needs to be done," Alia said.

Lillandra smiled. Alia could say that again. There was a lot of work that needed to be done and Lillandra intended to do it.

"Time to patch up things again," Lillandra said. "D'Ken always leaves me with a huge amount of work."

Lillandra figured there was a lot of atoning for the sins of the past regime. The Empress spent most of her first reign on the throne atoning for D'Ken. D'Ken's second crack at being Emperor was much worse.

"For the record, the second time around will be different," Alia said. "I know you can do this. I believe in you."

The words of encouragement meant the entire world to Lillandra. One could not describe how good these words made her feel. Confidence brimmed over the women. Everything felt so much better now.

Lillandra smiled and surveyed the younger royal.

"Someday, you will be a grand ruler as well, Princess Alia," Lillandra said. "You are a credit to your people. I know how noble they are just by fighting alongside you."

Alia did not know what to say to that. Diana might be much better at dealing with the various problems that cropped up and went with being on the throne of the Amazons. The point was moot. Hippolyta sat firmly upon the throne and the rule of the Queen of the Amazons was absolute.

Kara could tell that Alia was a bit put off and she gave Alia a sympathetic smile.

"You struck Alia, speechless," Kara said. "Congratulations."

Alia gave Kara a mocking look of disgust. Kara reached forward and patted Alia on the top of her head.

"It's time for me to clean up," Lillandra said. "If you ever need the aid of the Shi'ar, we will be there."

Lillandra took her leave. The mess the Empress needed to clean up was too numerous to go into. The most awful part was that only by being in prison was how Lillandra learned to find the inner strength to lead the Shi'ar people.

Really funny how things worked out like that, wasn't it?

Kara and Alia watched them leave.

'_That was one of those days, isn't it?' _Kara asked.

'_You can say that again,' _Alia said.

'_That was one of those days, wasn't it?' _Donna asked.

'_Donna, she wasn't being literal,' _Diana said.

'_Oh, like I'm the one who needs to worry about being literal,' _Donna thought. _'Princess Takes Everything too seriously is complaining about something being literal.'_

'_She does have a point,' _Fleur said.

'_Fleur!' _Diana snapped. _'I thought that you were on my side.'_

'_I'm allowed to change sides?' _Fleur asked.

'_That sounded like a question, more than a statement,' _Diana thought.

Alia laughed. One fact remained certain. The bond network ensured there was never a dull moment.

The Warrior Princess saw Carol leave and Alia quickened strides to catch up with the woman before she passed the doors. Being right behind Carol was something that Alia didn't necessary mind. The sight proved to be extremely perfect in fact.

Carol turned around and smiled.

"So, been checking out the view?" Carol asked.

"More like I've been admiring one of SWORD's greatest assets," Alia informed her.

The SWORD agent took that as a complement. A pair of vivid green eyes met with a pair of bright blue eyes. Carol decided it was now time to go in all of the way.

"So, I'm going to take a shower," Carol said. "It's been a long day, and that's the best way to unwind, wouldn't you agree?

Alia smiled.

"I was going to do the same," Alia said. "We should share. Would conserve on water."

"Yes, that's important," Carol agreed.

Carol thought that after today both of them could use some way to let off some steam. And what better way to let off some steam than taking a nice and steamy shower?

Alia followed Carol into the shower room. The gorgeous woman leaned forward, the tight uniform stretching over her ass. Carol was fully aware of how Alia's eyes drank in her form and ensured that Alia got a show.

Carol spun around when the shower was on. She slowly unzipped the bodysuit. First, a large and round pair of breasts exposed for Alia. Alia watched when the round and large globes exposed. The fact Carol wore nothing underneath that bodysuit became abundantly clear instantly.

The suit came down and exposed Carol's toned stomach. The stacked woman spun around and Alia saw a glorious looking ass. It took every degree of self-control Alia had in her being not to reach forward and grab that ass.

A pair of muscular and toned legs fit, along with a pair of feet.

Carol stepped back towards the shower. The water sprayed from the shower head.

"I think that you're a bit overdressed for the shower," Carol informed her.

The droplets of water splashed over Carol's fit body.

"Let's correct that, shall we?" Alia asked.

Alia smiled and unbuttoned her top. More of her glorious flesh exposed itself for Carol's line of sight. A lacy green bra matched Alia's equally vibrant eyes.

Carol looked at Alia's toned upper body. The girl didn't have one ounce of fat on her. A perfect toned stomach and an hourglass figure waited for her. Those breasts were to die for as well. Carol found herself drooling, in both senses of the world.

Alia slowly slid the skirt down her legs and turned around. The Amazon Princess wore a lacy green thong that fit over her ass. Carol felt spellbound at the very look of it. Impossible to look away from the spectacle. Alia's toned legs went down for miles and the woman stood close to six feet tall, so a lot of leg could be had.

The bra released her extremely firm breasts into the world. Alia smiled and squeezed them for a brief second. Alia slid the thong down and exposed a smooth shaven center.

Then, Alia crossed the threshold, joining Carol in the shower. The two women pressed chest to chest when Alia reached off to the side.

"Well, it's time to get all wet."

* * *

Carols slumped against the wall of the shower. Heavy breathing escalated all over her body. Finally, Alia reached down and helped her to her feet.

"Well, I got you dirty, but I think that's there's plenty of time to clean up again."

"Only for us to get dirty again, right?" Carol asked.

Alia laughed.

"Now, you're getting the message."

This might defeat the entire water conservation thing, but that was out the window the moment they entered the shower.

**To Be Continued. **


	31. Bonds of Trust

**Chapter Thirty: Bonds of Trust.**

* * *

Young magic users performed some extremely intense bursts of magical energy. Eight year old Ginny Weasley was not the exception to this rule. As a matter of fact, the girl was special in some way. The seventh child of a seventh child and the first Weasley daughter born in seven generations on the direct line, Ginny was not old enough to understand how special she was.

Ginny's powers could flow out of control in numerous ways. The temper the young girl had was scary. The feisty redhead's ability to perform magic could be terrifying. Most of the time the catalyst was through her youngest older brother, Ron, and he did something to agitate Ginny.

Ron was a year older than Ginny, but several years behind him in development. Whether or not that had anything to do with Fred and George dropping Ron on his head when he was an infant, or because the youngest Weasley brother got the short end of the stick, it was hard to tell.

This entire mess started when Ginny corrected something that Ron was doing. It was a simple wand movement that Bill taught her. One could think that Ginny slapped Ron in the face and called her youngest older brother a nasty name. Mount St. Molly hit the roof and told Ginny that she was much too young.

That always was the problem. Ginny was always too young. That caused Ginny to scowl.

Ginny had been told to go play with her dolls. The girl would rather play Quidditch or learn magic than play with dolls or learn how to good.

"Oh, Ginny, you should stay out of the way, and be boring, while the boys do all of the fun stuff," Ginny ranted. A small wind storm appeared around the redhead.

Ginny took a moment to catch her bearings. This was another weird quirk of having such powerful magic.

Dust kicked up in the air. A magical little wind storm kicked up. Ginny took a deep breath and continued to launch into a rant.

"I can't believe it. I'm smarter than Ron, and about as smart of the twins. But yet, Mum treats me like I'm two. And she thinks that she knows more because she's older. I don't think that she would miss me if I ran away."

Ginny sat on the ground legs crossed and peered into the garden. The gnomes were back again. Ginny never got to de-gnome the garden come to think of it

"FRED, GEORGE, GET BACK HERE!"

"And here we go again," Ginny muttered.

An argument could be heard from inside of the Burrow. Ginny leaned back and could hear her mother bitching out the twins about something or other. That was more of the same.

Listening to Molly Weasley, it was easy where Ginny got a temper from. The witch took a deep breath.

Count to ten, count to thirty, counting to thirty, it agitated Ginny more than anything. The girl's hand cupped her chin and her head whipped back.

A rustling sound could be heard in the bushes. Followed by a musical round of laughter.

Ginny rose up to a standing position. The girl craned her neck forward. Something stirred in the bushes. This should be the type of thing that Ginny should bring up to her mother.

Molly Weasley continued to rant against something the twins did. Ginny shook her head and sighed.

"Hello, is there anyone there?" Ginny asked. She paused and stepped forward again. "Hello? Are you there? Who are you?"

Ginny heard the laughter grow silent. For a second, Ginny thought it was someone pulling some kind of joke.

The youngest Weasley heard footsteps race away. Ginny felt the temptation to chase after it. Actually the temptation was easy to give into.

Ginny stopped and saw a young girl that was close to her age. The girl looked like the pinnacle of innocence. Nice chestnut brown hair framed down over her face. The black headband rested across her head. A black blouse and a plaid skirt, along with socks and shoes added to the outfit.

"Who are you?" Ginny asked.

"Hi, my name is Sophie," Sophie said. She spoke in a sweet little girl voice. "Would you like and come play with me?"

Ginny looked at the girl.

"Who are you?" Sophie asked.

"My name is Ginny, Ginny Weasley," Ginny said. "Where are you from?"

"I'm from a magical place," Sophie informed her.

"A magical place?" Ginny asked.

Sophie giggled and Ginny looked at her like the girl was a bit mental.

"Would you like to come and see the magical place I'm from?" Sophie asked. "It is a nice and wonderful place, where girls like us don't have to worry about people telling us what to do. You don't have to be second rate to your brothers and you don't have to listen to your brother again, Ginny."

"How did you know about that?" Ginny asked.

"I heard everything you said, and I can hear your mother from all the way down the street," Sophie answered. The girl's hand rested on Ginny's shoulder. "There's no need to be afraid anymore. Come with me, and we'll have so much fun."

The sweetness dripping from her voice was almost intoxicating. Ginny hesitated for a second. After how she had been treated, this was tempting. The young girl seemed so friendly and Ginny could not help, but trust her.

"You can come with me, or you can stay here," Sophie said.

Before Ginny could properly answer, the door swung open and Molly Weasley appeared outside. The second Ginny turned back to Sophie, she disappeared.

Was the girl even there in the first place? Ginny wondered if her overactive imagination ran away with itself.

"Ginny, I need you to help me with lunch," Molly said.

"Can't Ron help?" Ginny asked.

Molly narrowed her eyes at Ginny's tone and the fact that Ginny rolled her eyes at Molly narrowed hers at Ginny.

"Don't talk back to me like that, young lady," Molly replied. "Get inside and wash your hands too."

Ginny huffed and followed her mother into the house. That was all that a young witch should do. Cook, clean, be a proper lady, and one day have children. Ginny would rather play Quidditch with her brothers, but that wasn't ladylike.

The case of this mysterious friend caused Ginny to be distracted. Was she around or did she vanish? Ginny had no idea.

* * *

Cassandra Cain did a few stretching exercises. The fourteen year old girl dressed herself in some tight clothes.

Alia watched over her closely. The training was not needed for the fact that Cass could defend herself. Cass could fight the best of them.

The big problem was that Cass learned to fight and kill people. The woman was brutal in her attacks and lethal as well. Cain did want the perfect weapon.

Alia leaned towards Cass when Donna joined them both. Donna was more than able to handle herself in a fight with Cass if she got out of control.

"Remember, Cass, control is really important," Alia said. "There will be instances where a more lethal approach is needed. But it takes skill to take a person an inch from their life and disable them without killing them. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Cass said.

Cass had spent the last couple of months recovering from the ordeal. It was going to be a long road and there were moments where Cass flashed back to what happen.

"Okay, Donna, if you're ready," Alia said.

"I'm ready," Donna said. "If Cass is ready?"

"Yes," Cass replied.

Thea watched the battle and was mentally taking notes. The girl tried to reconcile the fact that Cassandra learned to kill from the point where most girls were going to school. If that fact didn't put Thea's life in perspective, there would be nothing that put the woman's life in perspective.

Cass rushed towards Donna and fired a series of rapid fire jabs and movements. Donna fought in a purely defensive stance.

Alia viewed the battle. Cass went for what might be a killing blow, but stopped herself for a moment. Cass opted for a less lethal blow.

"Remember, control is important, so don't get caught in the moment," Alia said.

Cass fired a series of rapid fire blows. One of the kicks caused Donna in the chest and got doubled over with the breath knocked out of her. The Amazon Princess popped up and stared Donna down.

Donna decided to fight back a little more. Not enough to provoke Cass into a feral and more lethal attack.

Alia leaned back and hoped that Cass would get the point of those lesson. Cass could be a valuable warrior. The emotional healing would be a long way away. The youngest warrior princess watched and soaked in the fight carefully.

The moment the fight was going forward, Alia returned to the conversation she was in with Kara and Diana.

'_So, Indy is finally coming to terms with what she's done?' _Alia asked Kara.

'_Yes, she is,' _Kara said. _'When Karen and you get the satellites set up, we should have a better setup. Hopefully that will give us a bit more of a warning.'_

'_Technically, they didn't make it to Earth,' _Alia said.

Alia watched the intensity of Cass being picked up. Only a few weeks ago, this level of intensity would be source of concern for Alia. Now, Alia felt that Cass got into the groove very nicely.

'_Sadly, though, you're back to square one regarding your mother,' _Diana thought.

'_I thought that Circe had a pretty good idea,' _Alia said. _'And for the record, I know what you're going to say about Circe. But, she's trying to figure out what went wrong, along with Circe and Rowena.'_

'_We'll see what happened there, I guess,' _Diana replied. _'So, do you think that Karen is going to come clean to you about what's really going on?'_

'_We have plans to meet for lunch tomorrow, so we'll find out,' _Alia thought. _'I think that I have a pretty good idea where she's coming from?'_

'_Don't you always have a pretty good idea?' _Kara asked. _'She does look like my older sister….I wonder what the deal is. I don't think that I was cloned, but you never know.'_

'_I'm sure there's another explanation,' _Alia said.

The fact Karen let slip that Alia resembled a friend told the warrior princess all she needed to know that something was up.

A lot had been going on, but Alia would have it no other way. Alia continued to watch the battle between Cass and Donna.

Donna drilled a series of blows to Cass. Cass flipped over the top of Donna and sent the Amazon Princess to the ground.

Cass fired a series of elbow strikes down to the side of the head of her adversary. Donna backed off and buckled down to one knee.

A running kick to the face toppled the middle Amazon Princess down onto her back. Donna felt the wind knocked out of her.

Cass jumped up into the air and seconds later, Alia blocked her hand.

"Okay, that's good, really good," Alia said. "But, you almost slipped Cass, so take five."

"I'll be better next time," Cass said.

This was a good place to call time. Alia reached forward and helped Donna to her feet. The two girls moved together and Donna gave Alia a slight kiss on the lips.

The kiss lingered for a moment and Donna pulled away from the younger Amazon Princess. Donna checked the time and gave a yelp.

"Got to run," Donna said. "After all, I wouldn't want to be unprepared for my first job."

'_Yes,' _Diana agreed. _'Especially with all of the work that Rose did to get you into that position.'_

"Sorry to cut and run this soon, I'll make it up to you later," Donna said.

"No problem," Alia said.

Alia understood and hell it was her idea why Donna should be keeping an eye on Claire and Lana. The middle sister took her leave, because she had to get ready for the first round of classes as a student teacher tomorrow.

Thea got to her feet and Cass took her place.

"So, are you ready?" Alia asked.

Oh, Thea thought that she redefined the term ready. The bow and quiver loaded with arrows was handed to her. Alia waved a hand casually. A target sprang out of the ground and presented a target for her. Numerous points were on the target.

Thea turned for instructions and Alia happily gave them to her.

"You need to be able to reload quickly and be able to fire at not only a rapid fire rate, but a precise rate," Alia informed the brunette. "That means that the target needs to be hit, just like that. The center ring, the smallest, most precise ring."

Alia stepped back and allowed Thea to take the first shot. She drew back the bow and fired an arrow.

The arrow fired into one of the targets. It was not the center target Alia intended, but it was not a bad shot.

Alia got behind Thea and placed her hands on the younger girl's waist. Alia leaned towards the girl and adjusted her stance casually and extremely carefully. Thea was set up in the right position.

"Your aim is good, but your positioning is off," Alia told her. "Try it from this angle and fire again."

With more confidence, Thea fired again. This time, the girl came closer to hitting the target. Alia leaned towards the brunette archer. The woman's hot breath hit Thea's ear and caused her to squirm.

"Don't worry, relax," Alia informed her.

"Relax?" Thea managed.

"Yes, relax," Alia confirmed.

Thea found it a bit harder to relax than normal. The girl resolved to hit the target this time. The hands on training worked out well for the Queen heiress. That much was something that she could take to the bank.

* * *

The truth had the tendency to set a person free and Karen hoped to get to the bottom of this. The more Karen knew Alia, the more the woman thought that the hunch she had proved to be spot on.

The only way to find out was to be straight up and ask. Karen thought that this lunch today could break the ice. This would be the first time the two women could talk with each other inside a more personal setting.

The fact a top restaurant was just across the street from them was the icing on the cake. Karen made sure her outfit was right. Rarely, Karen didn't pay much attention to such things. People spent a lot of time gawking at a certain part of the curvy blonde's body than worrying about what she wore.

"Okay, Kara, just calm down. If you get nervous, just pretend that Alia's in her underwear."

That caused Karen to break into a frown. The vision of the warrior princess in her underwear did not help Alia. It caused the girl to blush a crimson shade of red.

"Okay, wrong mental image," Karen murmured. "Just make a good first impression. That sounds cliché, I know."

An impression she would make, one way or another. A buzzing could be heard from the intercom.

"Ms. Starr, Ms. Evans is here to see you."

"Send her in," Karen said.

Seconds might have shifted into minutes. The moment of truth was at hand. The door opened up and Karen caught a look at Alia. The girl dressed in an elegant green dress. The dress really captured the essence of her eyes and showed off a good deal of the fit form the princess had without being too risqué. The high heel shoes looked to be a nice touch and made the girl's legs look like they went on forever.

Karen finally found her voice.

"Wow, Alia, you look beautiful," Karen said.

The statement Alia looked like a princess seemed redundant because she was one.

Alia took a nice long look at Karen as well. The white dress she wore made her look stunning. The Amazon Princess was discreet in drinking in pretty every inch of the gorgeous flesh the buxom blonde had to offer.

"You look absolutely stunning as well, Karen," Alia said. "So, we can either stand here gawking at each other or we can go out and have our lunch. I don't know about you, but I'd rather have you….lunch with you."

Karen thought that would be a really good idea. The Freudian slip almost flew over Karen's head. The two women made their way out of the elevator and to the lobby.

The girls walked across the street, not a very long trip, to the restaurant that was across the street. The waiter was right on their orders quickly and that was for two reasons. Karen was becoming a celebrity because of the electronics STARR put out and Alia was a celebrity because of her status in general.

"Guess being rich, and or famous does work out," Alia said. "So, I've been meaning to ask you something?"

"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask you something as well," Karen said. She paused and Alia raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead, you first."

"No, after you," Alia said. She gave Karen a slight encouraging smile and a wave.

"No, you want to ask, so you ask," Karen said.

"Fine, I guess that I will," Alia said.

Alia decided to be the one to ask Karen. The Amazon warrior waved her hand and leaned towards Karen.

"Are you Kara from an alternate universe?" Alia asked. "Don't worry, no one is going to hear you. I put up a charm blocking out any external sound."

Karen felt a bit more at ease.

"Yes, I'm Kara Zor-L," Karen agreed. "It was almost uncanny how she looks like me, but….the alternate universe thing does make a lot of sense. And you look a lot like Jaime….Jaime Potter."

"My birth father's real name was Potter….but I prefer to go under the name Evans," Alia said. "The Amazons rescued me when I was very young and I was adopted as a third sister."

Both girls looked rather relieved to confirm that. Alia did have one question.

"Thankfully they did," Karen said. Alia blinked. "Jaime experienced that world, living at her relatives for ten years and they were ten long years. She was treated like someone who didn't exist and was neglected."

Alia sighed. Petunia would be spiteful enough.

"That must be enough to mess anyone up," Alia said.

Karen nodded in agreement.

"Jaime had her share of demons," Karen confirmed. "More than I think any of us could ever have. She was starting to pull herself together. Then our world ended."

"The world ended?" Alia asked.

"Yes," Karen agreed. "I wound up here, and Jaime….well she had been lost in limbo. After all of the headway she went with in pulling her life back together."

Karen felt bittersweet at that. Jaime vanishing into the time stream was an awful thing.

Alia sighed. That really was an unfortunate situation. There was a part of her that hoped that this alternate universe counterpart still existed. The only problem was that Alia focused a lot of attention on bringing Lily back. This case would only be second rate.

"If I can do anything to help?" Alia asked.

"I'm hoping that these satellites might help me confirm or deny she's still out there," Karen said.

"Well, if there's anything else that I can do," Alia said.

The Amazon Princess followed those words by reaching across the table. Alia's hand laid on top of Karen's and Karen shivered when the electricity flowed from Alia's fingertips onto hers.

Karen appreciated the gesture. It was not like Karen didn't do her best to find Jaime. The buxom blonde searched and ran into dead end after dead end.

This business arrangement was going nicely and now the air was cleared, Karen felt extremely good about the personal life. Karen took a nice sip of wine and contemplated her next move. The busty Kryptonian thought and decided where to go next.

"In a few weeks, there's a business convention in Vegas," Karen said. "A lot of the top names are going to be there, and I have an extra ticket. I was wondering if you would like to join me. It could raise the profile of SLE."

Alia thought about it. A few minutes of racking her mind indicated that Alia had no reason to turn it down.

"You know, I'd like that," Alia said. "I've always wanted to see Vegas, it sounds like an interesting place."

Karen laughed. Interesting might be a mild term to describe Vegas.

Plans needed to be made, but some of the finer details could be hashed out fairly easily. The two enjoyed the rest of their meal.

It was time two old friends getting together. And speaking of getting together with old friends, Alia felt something buzz in the back of her head.

'_Alia, I need to speak with you, it's about the ritual we did, I found the other side effect,' _Alia thought.

Alia thought about the urgency. There was really no reason to argue with Circe about this. The girl leaned towards Karen.

"There's a chance that I can bring my mother back, and I'm really sorry to tell you about this, but I need to meet with someone…she's helping me try and locate her essence and bring it back to Earth."

"Oh, that's fine," Karen told her.

Karen understood what Alia was doing. Jaime would have brought back Lily as well if the girl had the opportunity.

"And if there's anything that I can do to help you, just ask," Karen said.

Karen figured that it would be extremely sporting to return the favor from earlier. Alia offered her help. Why couldn't Karen do the same?

Grateful, Alia leaned towards Karen and kissed the woman on the lips. That caused more than a few eyeballs to pop out in the club.

Alia walked off like there was nothing out of the ordinary with her actions. Circe's message sounded extremely urgent. The woman was many things. One thing Alia could take to the bank was that if Circe thought something was wrong, than something was wrong.

* * *

Circe leaned over the readings. The goddess studied them. Mistakes could be made and things could have been misread.

The Greek Goddess crossed her fingers and hoped that this would be one of those times where such things where she would be grossly mistaken.

Circe bent over the flames and followed the strands. Lily's spirit had been quiet since the botched attempt to pull it out.

If only an alien ship being pulled through the void was the biggest problem they had to deal with. Unfortunately, far bigger problems manifested. Circe did not have the control she wished to have.

"You wanted to see me?"

Alia's declaration caused Circe to spin around. For a wild moment, Circe was taken off guard.

The purple-haired goddess calmed down after a second's thought.

"I apologize if I startled you, I was so into the magic, that I have become detached from the world," Circe said. "Anyone who is this far into the study of magic can pretty much tell you something is really wrong."

"What's really wrong?" Alia asked. "My mother, is she okay?"

"Your mother has not been harmed, but I'm more concerned about what else was lingering on the margins when she contacted you," Circe asked.

Alia's face fell. Something else lingering, perhaps that was Alia's imagination, but that couldn't be good.

"What do you mean?"

With that settled, Circe figured that she owed Alia an explanation.

"Something stopped your mother from going through, and at first I thought that was because the ritual did not work," Circe explained. "Someone else tried to get through at the same time."

"But, neither got through," Alia said.

"Neither got through, but there was a tear in the fabric in reality for about two minutes," Circe said. "Not a long amount of time, but long enough for someone to sneak through if they knew what they were looking for."

The Amazon Princess drew in breath and allowed that to settle in. Seconds passed that felt like minutes and Alia wondered what the hell was going on.

"It's my fault that this happened," Circe said.

"You warned me, I should have….." Alia replied.

"Age should be able to correct the mistakes of youth, not be ignorant to its faults," Circe said. "I wanted to atone, but I fell into a trap. Rowena and Selene would agree that all of us played a really big part in what happened. You should not be held responsible because you followed our direction."

If anything else, it was a collaborative misstep. Rowena and Selene understood the dangers and Circe had a bad feeling someone else tampered with the magic. Circe should have been more insistent on stalling the ritual.

Circe's compulsion to settle the debt she had with Alia proved to be a disastrous downfall.

"So, do you know what got through?" Alia asked.

"I don't know," Circe confirmed grimly.

The only way to find out would be if the enemy caused havoc. Until then, Circe had to wait and watch. The tear already had been sealed weeks ago.

Whoever or whatever got through must have been biding their time. Waiting for the right moment to strike, ready to seduce some unwilling soul to do their bidding for whatever nefarious purposes.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	32. Temptation

**Chapter Thirty-One: Temptation.**

* * *

Alia needed to visit someone in Smallville to get some advice. Before that trip though, the Warrior Princess decided to take a trip to the Kent Farm. Donna mentioned she would be going over. Martha invited the new student teacher over for coffee and pie to welcome the young woman to the neighborhood, so to speak. Even though Donna had technically been there for some time.

Plus, Alia wished to check on Lana and Claire.

For the past day or so, Alia sensed a peculiar feeling in the air. Circe's warnings something broke through the barrier during the botched ritual reigned in Alia's head. The woman attempted to piece together what that might have been.

Lana and Claire sat out in the strip of land between the house and the barn. The two girls did their homework. At least that's what the theory was.

Alia listened to both of them. The Amazon felt interrupting the conversation would not be a good idea, and in fact, it would be quite rude at this point. Lana and Claire kept going on about normal twelve-year-old girl things.

"I wish all of the teachers were as cool as Donna is," Lana said, biting down on her lip in frustration.

"Oh, come on, they're not that bad," Claire said.

"Giving homework on a beautiful day like this, yes they are that bad," Lana replied.

"But, you're one of the top students in our class, so shouldn't you like homework?" Claire asked.

Lana looked at Clarie.

"I am, because I need to get the top grades necessary, or Nell will ground me," Lana responded. "And if I want to stay on the cheerleader squad and the soccer team, I need to be the best that I can be."

"I guess," Claire said. "Why was Donna given the job?"

"Wouldn't you prefer that we have a teacher that can defend herself, in case some weird things go down?" Donna asked.

Alia smiled. The girl thought to announce herself or maybe go inside to see Martha and Donna for a spell.

The only problem was that something caused the hairs of Alia's neck to prickle straight up into the air. The woman cleared her head by shaking it. Something really was wrong, and Alia couldn't put her finger on what.

The next thing Alia knew, she was not in Smallville. The field the powerful young woman stood in was very familiar. Alia took a bold step forward.

"Succubi."

One word was so powerful. Alia turned towards Aphrodite, who waited for her.

"I beg your pardon?" Alia asked Aphrodite.

Aphrodite felt Alia was owed an explanation. Given that the girl was right in the middle of this mess and really and technically about of her depth.

"When the ritual occurred, there was a temporary tear that opened up," Aphrodite responded. "It wasn't open for that long, as I'm certain that Circe told her."

"I'm sure that you're going to lecture me working with Circe," Alia said tensely.

"No," Aphrodite said. "In this case, I think we can both agree that Circe is well and truly on the level."

Alia appreciated the vote of confidence. To be fair, Circe was not the one that caused this problem. It was a flaw of magic.

"A being of high power escaped. She will tempt some human, several in fact, to increase her powers."

Alia sighed. The young woman was afraid that something like this could happen. That was what Circe feared.

Technically, Alia wasn't completely sure what Circe feared, but Alia was sure that this was one of the things Circe feared.

Aphrodite could tell the tension in Alia's body. Hell, if Aphrodite was in this position, she would be equally as tense. The love goddess lead Alia over and motioned for the young woman to take a seat at the bench.

Alia did not see why not. Aphrodite's hands started to massage Alia's neck and shoulder. The skilled hands worked out a fair deal of tension that Alia felt. The goddess really did re-define the term magical hands.

Closing her eyes, Alia took a second to return to the situation at hand. Aphrodite continued to work the kink out of Alia's neck.

"Don't worry, we all understand why you're doing what you're doing," Aphrodite breathed in Alia's ear. "And we know that you're only doing it to help your mother return. No one blames you for that."

Alia appreciated the reassurance and the neck massage. Aphrodite allowed Alia to get to her feet.

Bright blue eyes peered down into the green eyes of Alia.

"And I know that you'll be strong enough to whether any storm. The goddesses chose to bring you to the island so your potential would not be squandered. And you're living up to it."

Words might come cheap, but Alia appreciated when they came. Aphrodite leaned down and gave Alia a small kiss on the cheek and a couple of teasing kisses on the side of her neck.

Alia shivered. She might be a dominant girl, but this was the goddess of love. Suddenly, Alia found herself back in Smallville.

Claire and Lana noticed Alia.

"Alia, I didn't know that you were coming," Claire said in surprise.

"I just got here," Alia commented.

The two girls accepted that explanation. Claire's eyes slowly drew towards something on the side of Alia's neck.

"Um, what's that on the side of your neck?" Claire asked. "Did someone bite you?"

"Oh, I'm sure someone bit her," Lana said. She was quite giggly at the moment.

Claire opened her mouth and Lana laughed at her friend. Alia placed her hands down on her side.

"Claire, I swear, for someone so powerful, you can be so sheltered," Lana answered. "So ,what happened?"

"I met up with an old friend, she was very excited to see me," Alia informed the girls.

Well, that explanation was good enough as any. Martha Kent was at the backdoor calling the girls in and it would be rude not to join her.

* * *

Ginny stirred awake in the early morning. For once in her life, the youngest Weasley felt confident. Her mother was not going to scream and wake Ginny up out of a dead sleep. Ginny was going to beat Molly up out of bed and it would feel so wonderful doing that.

The only problem was when Ginny woke up, someone sat at the edge of the eight-year-old girl's best. The same brunette girl, Ginny noticed.

Sophie sat at the edge of the bed.

"Sophie!" Ginny exclaimed in a startled voice. The redhead shook the cobwebs from her head. "What are you…how did you…why did you….oh….just why?"

Ginny didn't function well this early in the morning. Therefore having ten billion questions bombard her about the presence of this particular girl did not help Ginny's mood.

"I wanted to be here when you get up, so I was here, watching you sleep," Sophie said cheerfully.

"You know, that's really weird watching someone when they sleep," Ginny responded.

Ginny thought that it might be considered romantic to watch someone when they slept in those creepy vampire romance novels her mother was a fan of, but the feisty young girl found it extremely creepy.

Sophie slid off the edge of the bed to allow Ginny to untangle herself from the sheets. The mysterious girl sat down on the bench, watching Ginny's efforts.

"I didn't mean to offend you, I just wanted to be here, to let you know that I'm still out there," Sophie said. "Did you think that I was some imaginary friend?"

Ginny sighed. She didn't really mean to tell at this girl. In fact, there was a part of Ginny that was glad that Sophie was here. It proved that the girl was in fact real and not some twisted figment of Ginny's imagination.

"You don't have to be here Ginny, you won't be as special as you could be," Sophie said. "Remember, I come from a magical place, and you can be special. If you just come with me, I can show you an entire world of wonders. Your mother doesn't appreciate you, and your brothers don't either."

Sophie's words, repeated from yesterday, rang in Ginny's ear. The girl did make a lot of sense, almost too much sense.

The strange girl reached forward and placed a hand on Ginny's cheek. Ginny felt a warmth spread over her cheek.

Sophie leaned towards Ginny and whispered in the young girl's ear.

"Just think Ginny, it will be amazing, it will be magic."

Ginny could not help, but be intrigued. The temptation to go away with Sophie right now, go far away to this magical place she talked about, could be amazing.

Ginny remembered the words of her father though. He told her two things. One, you shouldn't trust something if you can't see where it kept its brain. And secondly, if someone told you to go to a magical place, it was likely you should run away and get an adult.

Sophie sensed Ginny's apprehension. The brunette played with a lock of Ginny's ear.

"Come on, don't you want to be happy?" Sophie asked. "Don't you want to have fun? You can be treated like a witch of your power, not some two-year-old."

Before Ginny could respond, the door opened. A very confused Ron Weasley stood at the door.

He seemed to be staring past Sophie to Ginny. Ginny turned towards Ron to see what he wanted.

"Ginny, what are you doing?" Ron asked.

"I was talking to Sophie," Ginny said.

"Who is Sophie?" Ron asked.

"Um, she's invisible," Ginny said with a shrug.

"Oh, you have an imaginary friend," Ron said. "That's great, Ginny, I mean you don't have any real friends."

"Kind of like Harry isn't real," Ginny responded.

Ron scowled at his younger sister.

"Harry is too real," Ron answered. "We're going to go to Hogwarts and go on all kinds of adventures together and fight dragons and trolls and goblins and girls."

Ginny thought that Ron was weird making the departed Alexandra Potter into a wizard, and calling him Harry. Not as weird as her mother planning for a wedding between her youngest son and Alexandra Potter, before she was gone. But it was still weird.

"You know, I must have been dreaming, there was no one here," Ginny said. "You know, breakfast is about to happen, why don't you get ready?

Ron seemed to buy that explanation. The young boy shrugged, and made his way down the hallway to the bathroom.

Sophie looked at Ron when he left. The girl wrinkled her nose like she smelled something nasty.

"Why do you like him?" Sophie asked. "He's putrid….nasty! I bet he doesn't even eat with his mouth closed!"

Ginny thought that pretty much described Ron quite nicely.

"Well, I guess I have to like him," Ginny said, shrugging. "He is my brother."

"Why?" Sophie asked.

Ginny didn't have a logical explanation other than Ron was her brother.

"You don't have to put up with this any longer, Ginny. Time is running out. Tonight, run away with me, come to this magical place. Or you're going to be treated like a baby, and be second rate to your brothers. Everything you do won't matter, because they'll doing it first."

The redhead girl teetered on the edge of accepting.

"If you don't come, you'll be with your mother forever."

Ginny shuddered at this thought. To be with her mother forever, especially the way Molly acted, was what nightmares were made of. And again, Ginny was thinking about it.

"Ginny, get downstairs for breakfast!"

An exasperated sigh escaped Ginny's mouth.

"What was that, Ginny?"

"I said I'm coming, Mum, just let me get dressed," Ginny said.

The booming voice of Molly Weasley calling up the stairs showed Ginny she would have to wait. Ginny got to her feet, fumbling around in her dresser for some clothes to slip on.

"Sophie, I've got to go," Ginny said.

"Do you?" Sophie asked.

"Yes, I have to do what my mother says," Ginny replied. "She screams really loud when she doesn't get her way."

Sophie frowned. So close, yet so far. She would have to try again tonight.

Ginny left the room. The promise of being special was tempting to anyone, but Ginny wasn't sure. Sophie seemed to be so nice though, so there was no reason not to trust the girl.

* * *

Zatanna put away some books in the back of her father's old shop. The process of tracking down her father's old property proved to be one that caused Zatanna a fair amount of stress. The consequence of not doing so was even more so.

A bell rang at the shop and Zatanna left. The raven-haired magic user was greeted by another raven-haired magic user.

"Alia!" Zatanna exclaimed in excitement. The girl rushed over and wrapped her arms around Alia. "It's good to see you."

"Good to see you as well, Zee," Alia responded.

The two girls allowed the hug to linger for a long moment before they slowly pulled apart. Zatanna could tell that Alia was here for something important.

The girl crossed the room and decided to close up shop. Very few people showed up at this shop anymore.

"So, how is the business?" Alia asked her.

"Very dismal," Zatanna said.

"I thought that the magic tricks were a hot seller, even if they were slight of hand," Alia remarked.

"They are a pretty hot seller, and the demonstration I give with them does sell more than a few of them with men hoping to score with women," Zatanna said. She sighed at how hopeless some of these men seemed. "But, a girl can't live on turning tricks alone."

Zatanna flushed. What the magician said could be taken the wrong way. Alia smiled, and waved it off.

"For the record that sounded a lot cleaner in my head," Zatanna said.

"Things like that normally do," Alia responded.

"Well, yes, but….let's go to my private quarters, then," Zatanna said.

"Only on the second date?" Alia asked. "Bit keen aren't you?"

'_You know, I'm surprised that you haven't just gone for it,' _Diana said.

'_Yes, the more, the merrier,' _Kara added.

'_I believe the saying is you got to catch them all,' _Fleur added.

"Technically, that wasn't a date, that was just a consultation," Zatanna fired back.

Alia shook her head. The Warrior Princess took a moment to admire Zatanna in those tight black leather pants.

A bust was pulled back to reveal a button. Zatanna pressed the button and a wall containing several mystical runes appeared.

The raven-haired magic user pressed a hand on the runes. The runes started to glow to life and formed an archway. A stairwell appeared next and the two girls descended down the steps into a rather spacious looking library.

The furniture in here looked to be a fair bit more modern than the shop itself.

"You know, this is different," Alia said.

"I put my own personal touch on this room," Zatanna explained. "My father goes for the more….old time creepy vibe, but I wanted to go for something more inviting for my me time."

Fair enough, Alia supposed. Zatanna sat down on the couch and Alia sat down next to her. Alia decided that now was the time to get to the point of the situation.

"I attempted a ritual, with Circe, Rowena Ravenclaw, and…the Black Queen," Alia said.

"To bring your mother back, right?" Zatanna asked.

"Yes, correct," Alia said. "But, my mother didn't get brought back."

"No, you just nabbed yourself an alien princess, right?" Zatanna asked.

"Yes," Alia agreed. She would have liked to focus on that more. "Something else came through the portal. At least one succubus, maybe succubi, but one can be confirmed."

Zatanna frowned, that was some bad news if one of those creatures disappeared into the world.

"Earth would be the perfect breeding ground for such a creature," Zatanna said. "Humans don't exactly have the most tact or self-control."

"No," Alia agreed. "And men….or some women, I guess, would be enticed by the Succubi."

"Well, some have more pride than that," Zatanna said.

Alia was caught off guard. Zatanna thought that more explanation was in order.

"Most empower themselves by carnal exchanges," Zatanna explained. "But there are others that prefer to play a longer game. Seducing and truly corrupting the innocent. It doesn't take much skill to corrupt a hormonal male into having sex. It takes true power to twist the innocent."

"Yes, I can see your point there," Alia agreed.

"And these creatures will take the form of someone innocent, like a young girl, or a cute animal, to tempt another young child into serving their plans."

Alia allowed that all to sink in. Finding that particular creature was of utmost importance. The problem was where did the creature end up. Alia sensed the presence somewhere on Earth.

The problem was the creature must have used some kind of masking spell.

"I did notice something when I failed to pass through."

The voice cut in and Lily Evans-Potter manifested before the two young adult women. Lily appeared in the flesh, so to speak.

Zatanna met Lily once in passing a long time ago and had been stricken by the woman's beauty. The ethereal form she took now did not do anything to detract from that beauty.

Alia smiled and snapped her fingers.

"You know, you can check out my mother later."

Zatanna shook her head, but things grew really serious. Both women could tell straight away from the look on Lily's face that this was not a social call, not in the slightest.

"Something passed through that gate," Lily explained. "But some of my memories returned that I didn't have before."

"Really, what returned?" Alia asked. The girl was more excited than ever before to hear this particular news.

"Something involving a phoenix," Lily muttered. "Not sure if it was tears, feathers, or flame, but something was used in the ritual."

"And this was given willingly?" Zatanna asked.

"I'd assume so, otherwise the ritual would have blasted Alexandra and myself to bits," Lily commented.

Alia was glad that some of Lily's memories had been jarred. That didn't, however, prove to solve the more immediate problem. The simple fact remained there was a succubus or maybe succubi on the loose.

Zatanna sensed the discontent going through Alia's body. Reaching forward, the raven-haired magician placed a hand on top of Alia's.

Sparks of magic flowed between the hands of both young adults.

"I'll do what I can to help you track her down," Zatanna said.

"Thank you," Alia responded. The help was appreciated.

Zatanna would be doing this even without an old family debt to settle. Her father got himself into quite the fix that Alia's parents managed to get him out of, just by the skin of his teeth. The Life Debt Bond transferred to the daughters with interesting results.

* * *

Ginny stirred awake from the sensation of some fingers brushing through her hair. The youngest Weasley's eyes opened and Sophie stood over the top of her.

"Ginny, I need for you to make your choice now," Sophie said. "But, it's amazing, I think that you're like it."

Hesitation spread through Ginny's face. Her voice sounded a bit shaky as well.

"I don't know, Sophie, it's just….I'm sure your home sounds amazing, but…this is my family," Ginny replied. "They might get on my nerves, but…they're my…."

"What are you trying to say? "Sophie asked.

"I can't go, Sophie, I'm really sorry," Ginny said.

Sophie started to sniffle and tears rolled down from her eyes.

"I thought…I thought we were best f-f-friends," Sophie sniffled. "Don't you like me anymore, Ginny? I thought you were nice, why do you have to be so mean?"

Ginny felt bad for her actions. Especially considering she upset the other girl, the new, magical friend she made.

"You know…maybe it could be fun," Ginny responded.

Sophie smiled and leaned towards Ginny. The girl's lips found their way on Ginny's cheek with a soft kiss.

"That's my girl."

Ginny felt light-headed. Suddenly, whatever Sophie wanted, it was perfect. Ginny got out of bed, pulling on her dressing gown.

Sophie grabbed Ginny's hand, past Ron's room. Ron's snores could wake the dead. That was one thing that Ginny wouldn't miss.

Down the stairs, and past the kitchen table, where Molly Weasley sat and stared off into space, a cup of tea on the table. Ginny paused, fearing that her mother would notice the fact that she was running away from the Burrow.

"Mum is right there," Ginny said.

"Don't worry, I gave her some of my special tea, and she'll be asleep for as long as we need her to be," Sophie commented. "She might seem awake, but she isn't."

"Are you sure?" Ginny asked.

"Promise," Sophie said. One of her teeth dinged with the cute little smile she gave.

Ginny was appeased and the door swung open. For a brief wild second, the youngest Weasley feared that her mother might snap out of whatever trance she had been put in.

The two walked into the backyard. Ginny was never allowed to go outside after dinner, so this was an exciting experience for her. Goosebumps appeared on the arms of the youngest Weasley. The moon was full tonight.

Good thing there weren't any werewolves living nearby. Ginny might be scared if there was one.

"Here, we are."

Ginny blinked in astonishment. That was her father's storage shed. The same storage shed where Arthur Weasley kept all of the Muggle junk that Molly gave him hell for.

"My Dad's shed?" Ginny asked. "No offense, Sophie, but I've been here before, and it really isn't that magic."

"No, there's a doorway inside," Sophie said. "It is the portal to the magical place I come from. That's where I first heard you."

Ginny wondered if her father had any idea that there was a portal to some magical realm inside his shed.

Sophie opened the door and Ginny was taken aback. Symbols had been drawn on the wall and candles had been lit. Ginny felt the aroma make her feel even more drowsy.

"Ginny, we're best friends, right?" Sophie asked.

"Yes," Ginny said without hesitation.

"And you trust me?" Sophie asked.

"Yes, Sophie, with my life," Ginny said.

Any desire for Ginny to argue was gone ever since Sophie kissed her on the cheek.

"Please give me your hand, so we can go home," Sophie replied.

Without any question, Ginny extended a hand. Sophie grabbed the hand and leaned forward, whispering in Ginny's ear.

"That's my girl."

Sophie gave a slight little lick behind Ginny's ear and a dark twinkle flashed through the girl's eyes. The two girls stood in the center of a rune. Sophie held a small blade in her hand.

"This might hurt, but don't worry, you won't remember it when we get there," Sophie commented.

Ginny's finger was cut and blood splashed inside the central rune. A glowing vortex appeared and illuminated both girls. The two disappeared into a flash of red light.

Inside the Burrow, Molly Weasley jerked out of her trance. She must have dozed off.

The clock on the wall started to hiss. Molly rose to her feet and saw the clock glowed red. Upon further inspection, Molly gasped.

Ginny's hand spun. The hand spun from home to traveling to mortal peril and Molly clutched her chest before plopping down on the nearest seat, barely avoiding hitting the floor.

A second later, Ginny's hand glowed again and a thirteenth setting appeared, one that Molly never saw before. The glass on the clock started to crack.

Ginny's hand pointed to a glowing red word that read "LIMBO."

Molly screamed.

"ARTHUR!" Molly shrieked at the top of her lungs. "ARTHUR!"

The clock exploded and Molly threw herself down onto the ground, to avoid the jagged pieces of glass and metal from striking her.

The only piece really left intact was the section of the clock with Ginny's hand and "LIMBO" written.

Arthur bent over his wife, peering down at it. He had no idea what it meant.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Limbo.**

* * *

An energy wave halfway across the world was more than enough to attract Alia. The young witch thought that this was on purpose. Whoever was on the other end of the energy wave pulled her and Zatanna halfway across the world.

Zatanna felt shaken. Extremely powerful and dark magic filled the air. The magic was not as strong as it might have been an hour ago, but it was there.

Lily flickered in and then out of reality. Alia wondered if the barriers between life and death were compromised.

"This is not over our realm," Alia explained. "This is over multiple realms, wouldn't you think?"

"How so?" Zatanna asked.

Alia took a second to collect her thoughts. This was one of those things that seemed easy to explain on paper.

"Well look at it this way. Mum here isn't able to hold herself together that long. The closer we get to the source of the magic, the more she fades. The rip in the fabric of space and time is causing life, death, and in between to be compromised. And it's just going to get worse….and more people are going to go through."

Zatanna considered that fact for a moment. The raven-haired witch nodded her head. It would not be surprising if that was the case. Reaching off to the side, Zatanna gripped Alia's hand firmly.

The two locked hands and channeled power together. The next step was to follow the strands of magic.

For a brief second, bond contact had been cut out. Alia, through persistence, latched onto the bond link, to get in touch with Rose.

'_So, Rose, I'm not sure if you can hear me,' _Alia asked.

'_Yes, faintly,' _Rose said. _'It's going to get worse….especially if you have to get close to whatever opened up.'_

'_I was under the impression that the tear repaired itself,' _Alia said.

'_Rowena is checking things out on her end,' _Rose explained. _'A new portal had been opened. Blood has been sacrificed.'_

'_Willingly or otherwise?' _Alia asked.

'_Willingly, but coerced,' _Rose said. _'Magic has its own definitions, I guess. If the blood was not taken by force, then it's willingly. The taint of magic in the air, it shows that there was some coercion and manipulation involved.'_

"Rose said the blood to power the ritual was willingly given," Alia explained.

"The Succubus must have offered something to have blood to be spilled," Zatanna said. "These strands, I found them, but they are very odd."

"Do you think we can use them to pinpoint the exact source?" Alia asked.

Zatanna pondered her options for a moment and nodded.

"Yes, I believe so."

The strands pulled them forward. Alia entered a village. This village was unassuming to the eye. Very low class, very low rent, but the village was quaint. Alia had both a really good feeling about the magic in.

On the other hand, there was a really bad feeling about the magic her. Alia placed a hand upon the gate.

"Ahhh," Alia groaned.

"Are you okay?" Zatanna asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Alia said. She grimaced. The gate really stung her elbow.

Had Alia not been so powerful, the gate would have melted her arm off at the elbow. That would be if she was lucky.

Alia sensed something behind these gates. Waving a hand, Alia swung the gate open.

The fog was so thick that Alia needed to magically cut through it. The fog obscured a swirling vortex of magical energy that appeared over a tool shed.

'_Wait, I know where that is,' _Rose said. _'It's the home of Arthur Weasley and his shrew of a wife.'_

Rose's sudden outburst caused Alia to stir. Alia proceeded to dive on in for further confirmation.

'_The Weasleys were some of Dumbledore's biggest backers,' _Rose explained. _'If Dumbledore asked them to jump off of a tower, the only thing they would ask about is how high of a tower.'_

"The Burrow," Zatanna said. "Well, there's the last place on Earth that you'd expect any kind of dark magical activity to occur."

The last place anyone would expect to find a succubus would be at the home of one of the least dark families in the world. Alia figured that it was almost brilliant.

Alia also realized one thing. The creature made sure not to cover her tracks completely. The Succubus was leaving a trail for Alia. The Amazon Princess racked her mind with what she needed to do.

The first time Alia needed to do would be to put up a barrier. It was a wonder that this little enchantment didn't trigger the attention of anyone else.

Those people would end up getting hurt if they tried to intervene. That was the last thing Alai wanted at this point in time.

Alia's mind formed a plan that could get the information they needed. The screams of the woman inside got on Alia's nerves slightly.

All forms of magical teleportation had been blocked both in and out. Alia decided to put forward her plan with Zatanna.

"We need to pose as the Ministry, and see if we can get more answers," Alia said.

'_If Molly still has that annoying clock of hers, it would be the most useful thing that you can get answers from,' _Rose said.

Zatanna frown. That just might be feasible. They needed answers and both could sense more powerful dark magic coming from inside.

Alia decided a quick change of clothes was in order. An enchantment or two would follow and both of them would get to the bottom of this, one way or another.

* * *

Arthur had no idea what to do. His wife stared at the broken piece of the clock in shock.

The man looked out the window. The fog really thickened outside. Arthur reckoned the thick fog was not a coincidence. There was a reason why magically created thick fog came over his line of sight.

"Oh, my poor Ginny, how could this happen," Molly moaned. The woman was absolutely lost.

"Molly, listen….."

"Oh, my baby, my poor baby," Molly said. "She shouldn't….where did she go. Why couldn't she have listened?"

The mutterings of "my poor baby" continued from Molly, almost to the point of annoyance. Anyone could feel for Molly at first.

Molly was in shock. The woman kept shaking her head. Arthur felt sympathy for his wife, even if she was beyond all reason.

Arthur thought about contacting the Ministry. The only problem was in this scenario, Arthur doubted very much that they would be too much help.

A knock on the door jarred Arthur out of his thoughts. The head of the house crossed the kitchen, leaving his sobbing wife to console herself.

"I wonder who could that be," Arthur murmured.

"OH, GINNY, WHY?"

Arthur placed his hand on the door and hesitated for a second. It had been a long time since Arthur had to worry about any security concerns. After the downfall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, there was nothing to worry about.

"I'm sorry, I don't know who you are," Arthur said.

One of the women spoke up from the outside.

"My name is Jaime Kent. I'm from the Department of Meta-Human Affairs, and this is my partner, Rachel Madrov. We want to know about the strange magical flucations coming from your property."

"Do you have any proof of identification?" Arthur asked.

Alastor would be proud if he could see Arthur now.

The young women showed identification badges. Arthur could not help, but trust them. The door opened and a chilling wind was left in the house.

They looked to be fairly new recruits. Maybe they were new in the past year, Arthur couldn't say. Regardless, he offered them a chance to sit down at the table.

"Please, take a seat, right there," Arthur said.

Alia could not believe he bought that. The fact Arthur Weasley had other things on his mind proved to work well into the favor of the girls.

"I'm surprised that the Department of Meta-Human Affairs would take interest in a situation like this," Arthur remarked.

"Well, the Ministry doesn't have the resources to deal with big incidents like this," Jaime said.

The Department of Meta-Human affairs, Arthur had almost forgotten about the changes. The effects really didn't trickle on down into his department just yet.

One of them started to explain what happened to him.

"We believe a rift has opened up in the fabric of reality and a magical creature has escaped, and has used your tool shed as a base of operations," Jaime continued.

"It's really serious," Rachel added. "Our scanners detected that the magical creature in question is extremely powerful and dangerous. The after effects must have been obvious to you, including the weird vortex over your shed."

Arthur noticed the fog outside and the chill. The fact there was some kind of magical oddness going on over his toolshed caused Arthur to take a great long pause. That was the first time he noticed something like that.

"Our daughter….she got abducted," Arthur said. "Our family clock exploded when the magical event occurred."

Alia's face fell. The clock being destroyed did not bode well with any attempt to locate where this creature was.

"All had been destroyed, except for one piece."

The piece of the clock was pulled out of Molly's grasp. The woman's protest fell on deaf ears.

Zatanna and Alia looked it over. The word "LIMBO" taunted them. Zatanna tried to hide the discomfort felt now. It was easy to hide it from the Weasleys, but it was far less easy to hide it from Alia who was fairly perceptive with picking up on certain things.

The fact this clock piece remained intact raised a red flag in Alia's head. It might have been just her imagination, but all of these bread crumbs being laid down before her could not be a coincidence.

Alia felt the clock piece heat up underneath her fingers. The lingering traces of dark magic caused her skin to crawl and a rush of displeasure to go down her spine.

Some magic felt good, but this magic felt wrong. The awkward nature of the piece of the clock made Alia concerned.

Alia scanned the Weasleys. Fortunately, for them, they had not been corrupted by the piece of the clock.

The disguised warrior princess decided to leave the Weasleys with an extremely dire warning.

"Do not touch anything magical around here and remain indoors at all times. We will send you a message when we can give the all clear."

Arthur acknowledged what was said. Molly didn't seem to hear them. The woman obviously had a really bad episode.

The two girls stepped outside. The next stop was the shed. The glow around the shed looked to be more ominous than ever. Alia placed a hand on the door handle and the door handle felt as hot as hell.

Zatanna performed a scan spell. The findings gathered by this spell caused the woman's face to fall flat. This was something that did not go unnoticed by Alia.

"So, if we try and open these doors, there will be an explosion," Zatanna said. "The explosion will be big enough to wipe out all of Europe."

That particular piece of news proved to be extremely problematic. Alia decided to go for another idea.

"So, can we teleport inside?" Alia asked.

"It's worth a shot," Zatanna said, shrugging.

The girls had very few options. The trail was going extremely cold. Zatanna and Alia locked hands together. The two girls popped inside the shed.

The temperatures inside the shed grew intense and it felt hotter than hell. Candles glowed to bath the girls in an unsettling light. Rune symbols had been written on the walls, although the nature of them had been lost on Alia.

"And now, they're still active, which means we can follow them," Alia said. "But, we're going to have to get the help of someone who knows all about the type of magic that we have to go up against."

A children's lullaby played in the background. That was the most foreboding thing about the entire mess.

* * *

Ginny felt extremely disoriented. Sophie's hand gripped on hers. The hallway she was lead down was extremely creepy to be honest. The eight-year-old girl developed a nice, thick, skin. That was one of the common hazards of having six older brothers. Something that was a bit scary didn't rattle her all that much.

When something really caused Ginny's nerves to be on edge, she knew that it was scary. The girl thought she was made of extremely tough stuff. The problem was it was easier said than done.

Sophie's hand squeezed Ginny and this action prompted Ginny to walk closer behind the girl. The two passed another corridor and went down a set of small steps.

Ginny regained her bearings just enough to ask the obvious question.

"I thought that this was supposed to be a magical place?" Ginny asked

Sophie didn't answer at first. Ginny was annoyed about being ignored by the girl, who seemed less sunny now that they were in her home.

Ginny gasped and the door opened. The moment they stepped inside, Ginny ran across a blonde girl that was a few years older than her. The girl was covered in just the bare necessities.

Fear gripped Ginny. The redheaded girl whipped around and tried to find her voice.

Sophie giggled and smiled.

"It is a magical place to me, silly," Sophie said. Her innocent tone was far more annoying to Ginny now.

Ginny wondered about this all. She really wanted to go home to be honest. Sophie was not who she thought she was.

Sophie's hand gripped around Ginny's arm in a possessive manner. Ginny tried to pull away from the girl, but that was easier said than done.

"Now, come on, you wanted to go away," Sophie giggled. "You wanted to become someone extremely special, didn't you?"

"Please let me go, Sophie, you're hurting me," Ginny pleased.

"Ginny, I'm not hurting you, I'm helping you," Sophie said.

Sophie's laughter wasn't as fun anymore. There was a lot less magic in her laughter as well. Sophie's laughter terrified Ginny to be honest.

Ginny wanted to know who that girl was. The girl stood in a trance.

"Who is that?" Ginny asked.

"She was another friend that wanted to go away to a magical place, just like you," Sophie said. "But, I got bored with her, and my Daddy wanted her. Just like he wanted you."

"Who is your father?" Ginny asked.

"You wouldn't know him," Sophie said. "He can be a cruel man if you don't play by the rules. But, I'm a dutiful daughter. I play by the rules. I'm a good girl."

"You're a really bad girl!" Ginny shouted. "I want to go."

"Sorry, Ginny, the portal is only one way," Sophie said. "I'm just waiting for our third little playmate to come by, and then we can really have fun."

"Third playmate?" Ginny asked.

"The girl who cheated death and got marked for it," Alia said.

The redhead did some quick thinking and realized instantly whom her so called friend was talking about.

"Alexandra Potter, the Girl-Who-Lived?" Ginny asked. "Dumbledore said Alexandra was dead."

Sophie scoffed. The expression of disdain on the brunette's face was something that Ginny thought she was not capable of.

"Of course, he thought that, and he died because of his failure," Sophie said. The brunette looked at Ginny. "They might be able to hide her from your flawed eyes, but they can't hold her from mine. She's going to be fun. Especially considering she's going to come after you."

"NO!" Ginny yelled. The girl had to think quickly and get out of here.

That second, Ginny pulled free and rushed towards the nearest exit. If she followed the path, maybe she could go back out and this nightmare would be over.

Sophie raised a hand and a wall of fire shot up. The fire wall blocked Ginny. Ginny nearly smacked head long into it.

"You don't get it, Ginny," Sophie said. "You're here forever. Your power is nice. It would be wasted. Here, it gets used."

Ginny spun around. Anger flashed through the eyes of the feisty young redhead. Sophie looked rather amused at Ginny's expression and the tone that followed.

"You lied to me!" Ginny shrieked.

Sophie rolled her eyes. The girl was naïve. The demon decided to let Ginny in on a few home truths and maybe she would get the message.

"No duh," Sophie replied. "If I didn't lie to you, then you wouldn't have come. If I told you that I want you to come with you, to sacrifice you as part of a demonic uprising that will destroy all life on Earth, you wouldn't have come."

Ginny sank down onto the ground. At this point, there was nothing else left to do. The hand of Sophie cupped her face.

The touch was still so soft, but it was mocking Ginny now. Ginny tried to turn away from girl.

"Oh, I told you one more lie," Sophie stated. It was almost as an afterthought. "My name isn't Sophie. It's Ananym. I'm the daughter of Belasco. This is Illyana Rasputin, and she's already accepted her fate. She's proven to be rather loyal. And you'll be broken just like her."

Sophie, or Ananym rather, smiled at Ginny. The girl's form shifted. She was much older than Ginny. Her brunette hair turned into a shade of red. Elegant robes covered the woman's body. The girl had the perfect figure and was most certainly not an eight-year old girl.

"You can't break me," Ginny said.

"You don't even know what that entails," Ananym said. "Trust me, honey, I will, and I can."

Ginny found herself sealed up in a cage with no escape.

"Pleasant dreams, Ginny. They'll be few and far between when my father turns up."

* * *

Circe appeared into the shed. The runes on the floor told the woman everything she needed to know.

**D**

Alia was at ease, at least for a few seconds. Circe looked to be a bit put off by something or other. The woman kneeled down onto the floor and touched the runes on the ground for a moment.

Circe could feel how warm they are. The pain didn't go through though. Circe closed her eyes and saw what was on the other side.

"A succubus is involved," Circe commented. "A half of one at the very least, but are you sure that you want to do this?"

"Yes," Alia confirmed. "I sure that I want to do this."

"Very well, stand back, and let me get the portal open," Circe responded.

The woman was sick of having debts that were out of her control. If the person Circe assumed was behind this was, behind this, things were about to get really dangerous. The word "LIMBO" written on the clock showed Circe that it was highly likely.

Alia and Zatanna stepped back. Circe traced her hands over the ground and a portal opened up on the ground. The portal looked to be a large and cavernous pit.

"Two minutes to go inside that portal, before it seals up, and it's lost forever," Circe informed them.

Only two minutes to get through the portal before it sealed such. And it was uncertain how they were going to get out. Alia shrugged.

There was a girl in danger. Alia took her teachings as part of the Amazons extremely seriously. The warrior princess stepped towards the portal. Hesitation followed for a brief second.

Circe looked like she was going to say something. Alia jumped through the portal.

The stomach turning trip downward caused Alia to feel a bit dizzy and noxious. The girl slammed hard into the ground with all of the force of a runaway train.

A hand reached forward. Alia looked up and was surprised to see Lily there. Her mother stood there with a smile.

"Mother?" Alia asked.

"Yes, Alexandra, it's me," Lily said. "You shouldn't have come here…..but now because you're here, we are in the same place."

"It's really you," Alia said.

"Yes, Alia, it's really me," Lily commented.

Lily understood why Alia was skeptical about that. Demons tended to favor their tricks and taking the guise of a loved one was straight up their alley.

Alia would have liked to believe that Lily was Lily. There was a small amount of uncertainty though. Alia looked into the woman's eyes.

No hints of deception was given and Alia was more at ease. Zatanna showed up in a flash behind her and Circe as well.

Circe was astonished to see Lily. The woman opened her mouth to apologize to Lily, but she had been cut off.

"No, I was the one that used the book," Lily said. "It doesn't matter anymore, we'll work this out, when we work this problem out."

Lily hoped that particular line of apology was cut off. It wasn't like she didn't appreciate the apology. It was just that a fair amount of time had passed and they needed to locate Ginny before it was too late.

Too much time had passed now. The quartet made their way inside.

Nothing attacked them yet. Alia stood up straight and looked around. Something was watching them. The voice singing the children's lullaby grew even creepier and far more unsettling. Alia's tension increased the longer she stood around.

"We need to go," Alia said.

"Yes, I agree," Lily said. "Ginny must have been down there for a long time, years maybe."

"The time-space distortion causes time to pass differently down here, than up there?" Zatanna asked.

The raven-haired magician honestly was surprised.

"Yes, I figured as much," Alia said. "Brace yourselves, things are about to get really hot."

"Let's just hope that isn't too hot to handle, "Zatanna said.

"With all of us together, we might have a chance," Alia responded.

One fact was perfectly clear. The portal had sent them to hell. Perhaps literally, but the dimension looked quite demonic and unsettling. Alia took a step forward to lead the entire group. Lily, Circe, and Zatanna followed.

This was a rescue mission first and foremost. Alia lead them forward.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	34. Seven

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Seven.**

* * *

Much time passed since the time Ananym brought Ginny down here. Ginny wondered if anyone missed her. The girl felt terrified beyond belief. The girl's words proved to be accurate about one thing. The magic Ginny experienced showed itself to be beyond her wildest dreams. Technically speaking, dreams could be nightmares as well.

Goosebumps rose on Ginny's arms. The fact hellfire surrounded her did not stop it from being so cold. The master turned up every now and again. His interest focused on the other girl, which could be a good thing and a bad thing.

The other girl walked forward. Ginny recalled Illyana being her name. The girl looked to be slightly older than Ginny. The girl's expression shifted into a colder and more distant one.

Illyana spoke to Ginny. Ginny frowned and failed to comprehend the language Illyana spoke to her in.

"Sorry, I can't understand you," Ginny said.

Illyana waved her hands furiously and spoke. Ginny strained to listen. She understood the word doom coming from the other girl. Ginny's Russian wasn't exactly solid. Illyana spoke absolutely little to no English and that meant neither good could collaborate.

Ginny mimed pointing to the exit with her hands. Illyana looked like a terrified rabbit in response and shook her head.

Ananym turned up next and chuckled.

"I'll give you credit, Ginny," Ananym said. "You are extremely fun. The fact your resolve hasn't been broken yet proves that you're really powerful indeed. The real shame will be when it does get broken."

"How can you do this?" Ginny asked.

"I can do this, because it's necessity," Ananym said. "You should still thank me. I lived up to my end of the bargain. Had I left you to rot at your mother's, you would have been nothing special. Instead, I've given you a chance to be part of something amazing."

Ginny's disbelief reached an entirely new height. This woman still thought she did Ginny a favor. The horror Ginny felt could not be described by mere words. The obvious fact she felt hopeless continued to fill her body.

Ananym leaned against the wall. Ginny glared at the girl for a moment. The fact Ananym observed her pissed Ginny off to no extent. She would like nothing better than to blast that bitch back for all that happened.

"You've already improved," Ananym said. "You've learned impressive magic your mother would not allow you to touch with a pull."

Ginny closed the gap between herself and Ananym. Illyana stepped between the two of them.

"Move," Ginny said.

Illyana's face contorted into a furious expression. The fact the Russian teenager chose not to move became abundantly clear.

"You should have no loyalty to them, she tricked you down there," Ginny said.

"Ginny, darling, this is about as futile as talking to customer service," Ananym said. "The language barrier at least is futile as talking to customer service."

Ginny backed up and sat down upon the ground. The redhead tilted her head back and a long sigh escaped. Was any way out even possible? Each second passing by things looked extremely grim for her.

"Our other guest will be looking for you soon enough," Ananym answered. "I can't wait to play with her."

"You really don't know who you're dealing with," Ginny said. "Even if it's Alexandra Potter, she took down the most feared Dark Lord in the world."

Ananym started to giggle in response to that. The giggles gave way into full blown laughter. The girl's amusement multiplied tenfold. The demon's face grew completely red and she slumped against the wall.

"You wand wavers, oh my….you're too much," Ananym said. She drew in a deep breath. "First of all, you use wands as a crutch, instead of a tool. And you pick that as your most feared dark wizard of all time. Step out of your little bubble once in a while. He might be feared to your little isolated corner of the world, but he barely cracks the top ten overall."

Ananym smiled and the girl's expression softened. The girl reached down and stroked Ginny's cheek. Ginny pulled away from Ananym and scowled at the woman.

"There's a small part of me that feels bad about what I'm doing," Ananym murmured.

"I find that difficult to believe," Ginny responded.

Disbelief prominently displayed itself in Ginny's eyes. After all of the deception, the woman felt sorrow. Ginny did not believe that any more than she believed anything else that few out of this girl's mouth.

"I'm really not evil, but sometimes creatures doing things out of necessity are mistakenly judged as evil," Ananym commented quietly. "And there's a saying that you humans have talked about. Better it be the devil you know, then the devil you don't."

Ginny reckoned that statement was more than accurate when a person described Ananym.

"I'll return, the master wants me to prepare for her arrival," Ananym said. "He might be by for a visit."

"You'll always be in your father's shadow when you keep this up," Ginny response. She chuckled. "It's amusing, you tried to pull that one on me, to get me to come here, and it worked. But, guess you needed a good long look in the mirror."

The nearly thirteen-year old girl's words fell on deaf demonic ears. The girl turned around and departed without another word.

Ginny sighed. Belasco could not break the girl's resolve. Ginny always prided herself in being stubborn. This really took the cake for stubbornness to be honest. The magic here showed to be beyond Ginny's wildest dreams, and into the area of her most feared nightmares.

The reason why Ginny did not become broken resounded to her. The seventh child of a seventh child and the first Weasley daughter on the direct line in seven generations made Ginny extremely special.

The seven principle of magic and how powerful this particular quirk was also made Ginny a target. Maybe, the witch should consider herself luckly.

Now, how to escape? Ginny asked herself the question many times. Exits existed in this place, and they represented false hope.

* * *

Lily, Zatanna, and Circe followed Alia closely behind in their journey into hell. Things grew completely more twisted the further Alia stepped down towards Limbo. The Amazon Princess's senses tingled and the girl found herself certain something dangerous lurked close by.

"A lot of time has passed," Lily muttered underneath her breath. "Who knows if Ginny is even the same person that she was."

"I have no idea," Alia commented. "It has been a long time since I had to wait and see you, you know."

"Alia, it felt much longer from my perspective," Lily informed her daughter. "Centuries must have passed from the time where I had been stuck here in the inbetween. Centuries at least between each moment I could pass into the physical world to see you."

"Has it really been that long?" Alia asked.

Alia admired her mother for being patient if that much time passed. The moments Alia saw her mother, the girl cherished those. The wait proved to be agonizing. Alia waited out those moments and anticipated them greatly. Despite the fact the wait proved to be aganoizing for Alia, the wait proved to be even more so for Lily. Alia struggled to imagine how awful it was for Lily to be trapped in this state for centuries.

Alia wanted to free her mother from this containment. Another problem reminded Alia of something. Ginny experienced a similar problem. Years passed before the time they entered the rabbit hole into Limbo.

Why was it surprisingly cold in a place that should be so hot? That question Alia asked herself and she had no real answers. The girl felt confused and a little bit scared. Actually, she felt more than a little bit scared.

Fear proved to be a powerful motivator. Some allowed fear to cripple them. Alia would not allow fear to cripple her or her ability to do the right thing. Alia used fear as fool to motivate her and move herself forward.

"I'm going to find her," Alia said.

"Please, do not make promises that you can't keep," Lily said.

"I can keep it," Alia said.

"She is really motivated," Zatanna said. Alia turned around for her eyes to burn into the face of the raven-haired magic user. "Really motivated for a good reason. Out of all of the people I'm glad to have on my side, Alia is one of them."

Alia smiled despite the situation. The girl tilted her head up. The Amazon's eyes flickered from one side to the other to get a full scope of the situation. So far, everything looked rather dismal. Appearances proved themselves to be deceiving even at the best of times.

Circe's silenced unsettled everyone greatly. Alia called the goddess here to get an expert opinion on what to deal with here. That expert opinion became lost in the suffle.

"So, what do we have to go up against?" Alia asked.

"Belasco is the lord of Limbo, and this place has contorted itself to fit his inner desires," Circe explained.

The girls looked around the area and could see the hideous scene around them. Belasco proved to be a fairly cheery fellow if this was his ideal situation. Alia shook her head and gave Circe the opportunity to continue. The goddess decided not to disappoint the warrior princess and plowed on with an explanation.

"He has succubi slaves, but the real problem is the army of terrible creatures he made band together. They joined him not out of loyalty, but out of fear. Some of them were members of the army served the previous ruler. Demons might be powerful, but if they can make a deal to allow themselves to live, they will do so."

"They seem pretty cowardly, then," Alia remarked.

"In a sense," Circe agreed.

"What about the demon that enticed Ginny to come down here?" Zatanna asked. "The one who entered the world through the rift."

"Yes, I was getting to that point," Circe said. "Her name is Ananym. Belasco sired her from his prized concubine. Her loyalty to him could be rather faulty at best."

"Meaning?" Alia asked.

"Meaning it could be compromised if the right offer comes along," Circe said. A suggestion tone spilled into her voice.

Alia saw what Circe meant immediately. What would be the right offer to a part-succubus? Alia's theories might prove to be correct after all.

The group reached an edge of a wall. Symbols flashed on the wall. Many of these symbols resembled the ones in Arthur Weasley's toolshed.

Circe raised a hand and stepped in front of Alia. Should this be a potential sacrifice, it would be best Circe dealt with this.

"One thing you must know is Belasco is vain," Circe said. "The demon will not and cannot avoid a direct challenge from what he perceives as a mere mortal."

"Why haven't we been attacked yet?" Zatanna asked. Alia's eyes snapped over towards Zatanna. Zatanna shrugged. "You know, I'm really not complaining about not being attacked. But, it's just weird no one attacked us yet."

"I've been able to mask your presence so far from anyone who intends you harm," Circe responded swiftly.

"Oh, you have?" Zatanna asked.

"Yes," Circe said. A dire warning followed seconds later. "I won't be able to mask it for long though."

Alia understood that much. Belasco must have a good idea who passed through his realm even with Circe's trickery. Alia placed a hand at the sheath on her side. The enchanted blade previously proved itself to be extremely potent.

The wall cracked from Circe's pressure on it. Several dark shadows lingered around. The shadows surprisingly left Alia, Lily, Circe, and Zatanna alone.

Circe's words reminded Alia this would not be for long. The group took those first steps into Limbo proper.

'_No turning back now,' _Alia thought. The warrior princess walked to whatever battle would greet her with the strongest resolve possible.

* * *

Ginny rushed towards the open exit. The teenage witch did not know how or why this opportunity to escape had been offered to her. The redhead vowed to make the most o fit.

The girl crossed down a set of hallway. Demonic voices echoed in the back of her head. Whispers of "turn back" pounded in Ginny's ears. They pounded her young mind, penetrating it like razor blades.

'_Don't look back,' _Ginny thought. _'Don't think too much, just run.'_

Ginny's heart raced a little bit more. The girl rushed down a set of stone stairs. The whispers grew even more frantic.

A flash of light engulfed the room ahead of Ginny. Ginny stopped short, the girl's breath having been caught. Would she honestly be that lucky? Ginny assumed she would be lucky. The witch's assumption resulted in an extremely fatal error.

The tall blonde Russian stood in front of her. The girl wore chain mail covering her body. Horns poked out of the top of her head along with demonic slits for eyes. The girl resembled someone who some dark creature possessed. The possession made Illyana look ten times more creepy.

'_And she has a tail,' _Ginny said.

"Illyana, we can leave," Ginny said. "Do you understand me?"

"Back," Illyana said in a fractured voice. "I will not allow you to leave."

"He's twisted you like this, can't you see this?" Ginny asked.

Illyana extended her palm forward and a silver light blasted from it. Ginny lifted off of the ground, propelled backwards, and slammed hard into a stole wall. Magic barely saved Ginny from having every bone broken. The spell knocked the wind out of the feisty redhead.

Ginny looked up, vision blurred. Illyana stepped towards Ginny and pressed a foot against her chest. The captive girl struggled. Escape proved to be pointless. Illyana's glowing sword pointed towards Ginny.

"No escape," Illyana informed her.

"Yeah, I was almost out of the door," Ginny said through gritted teeth.

"Cat and mouse," Illyana replied. "You're like a mouse and he played with you."

Horror gripped Ginny firmly. The ice cold water of reality splashed over the girl. Belasco masterminded Ginny's escape.

"Why did you come after me?" Ginny asked. "One of us could have left, and you would have…."

Illyana hoisted Ginny off of the ground and threw her across the room. The redhead face planted the ground when she landed.

Illyana charged Ginny, sword blazing. The redhead screamed and instinctively held her hands up.

'_Like that's going to stop a magical sword,' _Ginny mentally scoffed.

Ginny blinked in absolutely surprise. The sword slammed down onto a shield and Illyana propelled back.

"What did you do?" Illyana asked.

"You tell me and we'll both know," Ginny said.

The girl scrambled up to her feet. Ginny clutched the wall and seconds later, the sword of Illyana sliced towards the redhead. The teenage witch crouched down to avoid the attack. The sword slashed the wall.

Ginny collapsed on her hands and knees. The magic-user crawled around on the ground, uncertain where the next attack would occur. Illyana's crazed eyes flickered off to the side.

Grim realization dawned upon Ginny suddenly. The girl became little more than a sitting duck and Illyana hunted her like some animal. Another animal analogy proved to be accurate as well.

'_Nothing, but a cornered rabbit,' _Ginny thought.

Would Illyana kill her? If only Ginny could be that lucky. Illyana breaking Ginny and sending her back to Belasco for more conditioning because she dared escape looked to be the more obvious outcome. Ginny gritted her teeth firmly.

Ginny resolved to fight to the very last breath.

Illyana rushed Ginny. A shield appeared and Ginny wondered if she did that.

A blur flamed into the picture and engaged Ginny. The next action happened so fast. A blur of light disarmed Illyana of her sword.

Alia thought she showed up just in time.

"You're the one he speaks of," Illyana said. "Belasco will be pleased. He needs you for your plans. He will bend you to his will."

Alia blocked Illyana's binding spell. The spell launched the Russian girl into the air and propelled her down hard onto the ground.

The warrior princess disarmed Illyana and nailed her hard in the ribs. A series of rapid fire punches blasted Illyana. Illyana's healing factor kicked in. The healing factor just could not kick in fast enough to heal from the rapid fire assault of Alia's blows.

"There's just one flaw in your little plan," Alia said. "I bow to no one. And I most especially don't bow to any man."

The force of the next attack of the Amazon dropped Illyana to the ground.

Ginny's eyes widened and mount opened in awe. A hand placed on her shoulder caused Ginny to spin around.

"Relax, my name is Zatanna, you're among friends."

"So, you're the rescue party sent for me," Ginny said. "Do you realize how long it's been?"

"Well, it depends, how old are you?" Alia asked.

"Fifteen, I think," Ginny said. "If I was up there, I'd be taking my OWLs."

"Always thought it was stupid to name magical exams after something stereotypically magical," a voice said. Ginny turned around and mouth hung open in shock. Lily continued, obvilious to Ginny's shock, "Granted OWLs, the acronym works well. NEWTs is where they're reaching it."

"You're Lily Evans-Potter, and you're…you're…..you're Alexandra Potter," Ginny said.

"Well, I used to be," Alia said. "Long story, tell you about it when we get out of here."

Ananym watched from the shadows and stepped towards them. She prepared to attack and bring the final piece of Belasco. The demon proved to be loyal to her father above all else.

A magical straight jacket wrapped around the demon. Ananym struggled and came face to face with Circe.

"Everyone has a contingency plan, my dear," Circe said. "And I'm the contingency of Alia's you didn't plan for."

"So, you have me," Ananym said. "You'll never make it out of here alive."

Alia's gaze traced the body of the succubi. The warrior princess felt pleased with the visual buffet of flesh. The binding caused Ananym's nipples to grow erect.

"You're going to help us get out of here," Alia said. The girl cupped her Ananym's chin. Ananym shivered underneath Alia's touch. "What's the matter, scared about not being in control for once?"

Alia smiled and looked the demon in the eye.

"The only portal out of here is through my father's private palace, and it's dangerous," Ananym said. "He wouldn't even use it unless it was a real emergency situation."

"Looks like we're going to use it, then," Alia said.

Illyana stirred away.

"What happened?" Illyana asked.

"I'll explain it to you when we get out of here," Alia replied.

"We can't leave," Illyana protested.

"We're going to leave, I'm going to get everyone under Belasco's thumb out of here," Alia said.

"You do have a deathwish," Ananym said.

Alia ignored that statement. She didn't have a deathwish. Alia vowed a duty to protect all women and that included the one who tempted Ginny.

"So, let's go," Alia said.

* * *

The girls reached the palace. From the outside, the palace resembled your traditional stone palace. The builders got inspiration from another time period, a long time ago.

The inside of the palace proved to be another matter entirely. Runes carved over the walls and many artifacts sat upon the walls as trophies.

"I shouldn't have to tell anyone not to touch a thing in this room," Circe said. Everyone shook their heads. "I thought that went without saying, but you know what happens when people assume."

"He's here," Illyana breathed.

Illyana felt her inner nature to lash out and attack all of them, including Ananym, bubble to the surface. Alia's rope wrapped around her when she lead Illyana forward caused those feelings to bubble back on down.

Alia sensed the hostility coming from Illyana.

"He just won't show himself," Lily said.

"I was waiting for the perfect moment."

A pair of glowing eyes flashed through the shadows. Alia felt a chill and the same wraiths they encountered when walking through the doors circled around them.

"It has been a long time since I have started observing you, Alexandra Potter," Belasco stated. "And I'm impressed with the type of woman that you've grown into."

"Great, not surprised that he's a stalker," Circe said dryly.

"Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones, dear Circe," Belasco replied. "Every time Lily visited her daughter, it allowed me a window to that world. That is why your attempt to bring her back opened a rift. My daughter brought me two gifts, and I know that it would entice a third."

"I have one final gift for you, father," Ananym said. "Your demise. You've been on that throne for too long."

Belasco laughed. No matter how one sliced the situation, anyone could say that such a creature laughing seldom proved to be anything less than unsettling.

"Well, you've been corrupted," Belasco said. "You're already on thin ice, daughter, after you allowed my previous gifts to escape and run amuck. The plan did work out in the end."

"That wasn't my fault, that was the fault of your idiotic guards," Ananym said.

Belasco ignored the words of his daughter. Said words proved to be meaningless in the grand scheme of things. The man's full attention turned towards Alexandra Potter.

"Join me and I will show you things beyond your wildest dreams."

"I'll pass," Alia said.

"You could have been the perfect queen," Belasco said. "I hoped for our union to be consensual, but it's not a deal breaker if it is not."

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	35. Power Struggle

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Power Struggle.**

* * *

Alia geared herself up for battle. The demon wraiths circled around the group of magic users. The creatures looked positively hideous and murderous. Belasco looked towards his demented minions and offered one declaration.

"Capture the Girl-Who-Lived, slaughter the rest," Belasco ordered.

Circe's eyes rolled back slightly. The goddess struggled to figure out what was more amusing. The fact Belasco assumed Circe proved to that easily defeatable or the assumption Circe easily backed off from a fight. Either assumption gave the woman a fair amount of amusement to n end.

The goddess raised a hand and a circle of magical energy emitted from it. Circe fired an attack from her hand. Silver rings spiraled from her hand like miniature discs. These miniature discs sliced the creatures to ribbons and backed them off. Circe retracted her hand at the last minute, pleased the wraiths sliced to ribbons.

Zatanna expelled the creatures with a vial magical attack of her own. The creatures slammed hard against the wall. A few more attacks rocked the creature. Zatanna opened a portal and shot the creatures on through.

Alia slid the sword from her sheath. The girl intended to practice channeling her back through a sword along with fine-tuning her Amazon fighting abilities. The moment approached her and the demonic creatures rushed Alia one at a time. The creatures took swipes at Alia.

The last possible minute, Alia ducked. The Amazon warrior spun and slammed the sword into the chests of these creatures. The wraiths flew back and smacked against the wall with a sickening thud. Alia propelled her body into the air and tricked them into coming after her.

The trick opened up the creatures for an attack from Circe. The goddess of magic propelled a blast of magic from her hand. The magical rings sliced the creatures and sent them back to the horrific dimension which they came from.

"Predictable and one dimensional," Circe commented in a completely bored voice. "Well, do feel free to help out."

Ananym looked at her father's simple creations and summoned a blood red dagger. The demon sliced the creatures. An image of Ananym's father appeared in the girl's mind and this act prompted the girl to attack these creatures with far more brutality then before.

Demons took rejection about as poorly as one would expect. Ananym cared little whether or not the rejection came from her own father. The creatures he sent would be hacked up.

Illyana and Ginny observed the battle, mouths open and eyes widened, along with arms folded in frustration. A shield formed around the two girls and blocked their progress from battle.

"My father hides behind smoke and mirrors as usual," Ananym answered. "I'm beginning to think he's a coward."

"You just are now coming to that conclusion," Circe scoffed. A silver ring rose from the woman's hand one more time.

The never ending supply of shadow wraiths depleted with every attack. Circe finding their portal helped immensely with this. The goddess of magic and sometimes of chaos lifted a hand and propelled a creature back.

The creature staggered against the grip of the magical woman. The demonic entity's realization its time reached an end really rattled the creature. Circe stalked upon it.

"He's not here anymore!" Alia yelled.

The warrior princess took the frustration of the man she wanted to run through with that sword leaving the premises ran the sword through one of the demonic creatures. The demonic creature staggered forward. Alia's attack prompted black blood to spill from the creatures mouth.

"Of course," Ananym said. She casually slammed a dagger back at one of the creatures that tried to attack her. The daughter of Belasco rolled her eyes. "Did you expect any less?"

Alia expected better of an enemy. The warrior princess reflected within herself and thought her thinking better of an enemy might prove to be one of her more frustrating faults.

"I believe I have the exit point," Circe said. "Time to send these vile abominations back where they came from. I find it hard to believe that any place can be a step down from this hellhole, but at this point, I'm not the one fit to judge."

Circe's chaotic magic channeled through the portal and a whirlpool effect erupted from the portal. The portal drew the demonic creatures back on through. The inhumane screams of the creatures echoed as they struggled, but Circe's spell proved to be useful in drawing these entities through. One tried to grab at Alia.

"Dutiful little minions to the very least," Circe answered.

Ananym waited a moment to catch her breath. The woman extended a hand forward towards a gateway.

"There's the portal," Ananym answered. "You three can leave now."

Alia observed the portal with a critical eye. The warrior princess found nothing wrong with the portal. Skepticism reared its ugly head for Alia. The demi-goddess deduced nothing could be this easy.

"First of all, I don't think leaving will be that easy," Alia fired back. "And second of all, Belasco never paid for his crimes against these girls."

Alia swiped her hand over Illyana and Ginny.

"And he's tainted you equally as much," Alia agreed.

Ananym scoffed and rolled her eyes. Alia proved to be a far better person than Ananym. The girl refused to believe Belasco tainted her.

"You really think that?" Ananym asked.

Alia turned her attention away from the young demon, over towards her mother. Lily looked towards Ananym with thought and reflection dancing in her green eyes.

"He is able to do what he did because of me," Lily answered. "Belasco, I mean, he watched you when I visited you. I put you and these other girls at risk. His agent would never have been able to pass through the barriers….."

"Mother, he won't be able to do that again," Alia answered.

"How do you know that?" Lily asked.

Alia's smile grew confident. She reached around and pulled Lily into a confident hug. Lily relaxed, the first hug she and her daughter shared in some time proved to be very nice.

"I'm bringing you home."

* * *

Donna stood outside. The Amazon Warrior knew Alia asked her to be here because of an emergency. The incident happening around them certainly qualified as an emergency. Donna racked her brain to recall her teacher training and also all of what she experienced in the past couple of months teaching at this school.

The students at Smallville Middle School practiced fire drills, tornado drills, earthquake drills, and meteor shower drills. All of those drills proved to be essential. No drill existed for invasion of demonic creatures coming up over Smallville.

Donna watched the vortex swirling in the sky. The Warrior Princess really could only begin to guess what came through the portal. Anything arriving showcased how well she trained. Donna knew she stood mostly alone. The other teachers freaked out far worse than the students ever could in this situation.

The Amazon's eyes flickered all around and she observed the surroundings around her. Most of the students and the teachers already found their way down to the basement. How going to the basement of the school stopped demonic invaders, Donna shrugged. As long as these people stayed out of her way, Donna's job became a lot easier.

The Amazon Princess observed her surroundings and discovered she did not go into this battle alone. Cass stepped up next to her. She dressed in battle armor and a sword sheath draped over her shoulder.

"You could use some back up," Cass replied at Donna raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, believe me, the backup is appreciated," Donna said.

The two girls locked eyes with each other. The portal grew more active and lights flashed from above their heads. Donna and Cass prepared for any trouble escaping that portal. The two girls guessed whatever came through that portal would not be fluffy bunny rabbits.

Bunny rabbits often showed themselves to be dangerous in their own right, especially with anyone who grew a vegetable garden. Donna cleared her head with a simple shake. The Amazon's head shifted one fraction to the side and met Cass's eyes.

"You know what Alia taught you?" Donna asked.

"About holding back and not killing people?" Cass asked.

"Well these aren't people," Donna said. "Do you understand?"

Cass swiftly nodded. The look of determination flashing through the girl's eyes showcased she understood perfect. The girl removed the sword from her sheath and prepared to fight anything escaping the portal. The assassin found the proper balance during the months of training with Alia.

Donna wondered what they waited for. The girl's tension increased.

"What can I do to help?"

Donna spun around and Claire stood behind Donna. The Amazon Princess nearly suffered a sudden heart attack at the presence of the Kryptonian.

"What are you doing out here?" Donna demanded.

"I think that I can help….." Claire answered.

"I know Alia's been training you," Donna answered. The Amazon warrior placed a hand gently on Claire's shoulder and squeezed it. "But, I'm afraid I can't let you be out here. Kara and Alia want me to protect you at any cost."

Claire's mouth hung open. The girl tried to form a protest, but Donna cut her off.

"Actually, there's something that you can do to help," Donna amended. Claire bounced up in excitement. The Amazon felt amused at Claire's actions for a slight moment. "You can make sure that everyone is safely inside and there are no people straggling outside."

Claire realized what Donna wanted her to do and the girl understood. She zipped around the school.

No one lingered outside other than Donna. Claire reentered the school, re-locking the doors behind her. The hallways looked deserted. Everyone made their way to the basement and Claire thought she best join the other students.

Claire darted and ended up on Lana's side. Lana stood up straight, but gave no other indication she noticed Claire left the group and returned.

"You got cut down, didn't you?" Lana asked. Claire nodded for a moment. "Well, you got back just in time, the teachers finally are getting around to doing a headcount. They're not prepared for anything like this."

Claire thought Lana might have underplayed things slightly. The redhead leaned against the wall and allowed a momentary sigh.

"Where have you been?" a perky looking blonde with short hair asked near them.

"What do you mean?" Claire asked.

"Well, you weren't here about a minute ago, and now you're here?" she asked.

"Claire had to…..well she was in the back of the room, and she came up to join me," Lana answered.

The girl's hands flew towards her hips and a frown followed that stance.

"You're new, here, aren't you?" Lana asked.

"Yeah, first day here, picked a hell of a first day to transfer into Smallville," the girl answered. "Are things normally this exciting in Smallville? Judging by the name, you wouldn't think so, but hey, you never know, do you?"

"No, you don't," Claire replied.

"Oh, my name's Chloe, Chloe Sullivan," the girl answered in excitement.

"Claire Kent," Claire answered.

"Lana Lang," Lana said.

"Oh, it's so nice to meet people here, I was really worried," Chloe answered. A lightbulb clicked in the girl's head. "Oh, and before I forget…..here…hold my camera phone and get this."

Chloe slipped the camera phone into Lana's hand. Everyone failed to notice what happened next, except for Lana. Chloe grabbed Claire and pulled her into a quick kiss. The perky blonde's soft lips pressed against Claire's soft lips.

"There, you were thinking about it, weren't you?" Chloe asked. "Now we can get on with being friends without any awkwardness and stuff."

"Right, without any awkwardness after you just….." Claire said. "Why did you really do that?"

"My, cousin, Lois, bet me I wouldn't kiss a girl," Chloe admitted. "And now she owes me twenty bucks. But don't worry, it was actually not as bad as I thought it would be."

"Thank you, I think," Claire murmured.

Claire craned and could have sword she saw the feet of a blur go by out the basement window, but the teachers demanded the full attention of the students of Smallville Middle School.

* * *

Chaos opened the gateway for opportunity and any chance not seized ended up being a chance squandered. Belasco's plans thrived on chaos, even if the chaos this moment directed towards him and attacked the demon lord.

The Ruler of Limbo stepped up the time table for the conquest of Earth. The planet proved to be an ideal and fertile breeding ground for extending his empire. Belasco wished to do so with his queen by his side, but everything looked to not go that direction. The demon vowed to win the day and destroy all of humanity, taking only the very best as servants as a reminder of his domination.

"All will fall before me," Belasco said.

"There's one piece of business you're going to have to finish up before that."

Belasco slowly turned on the spot and peered down. Princess Alia marched down the floor and closed the distance between her and Belasco. The girl armed herself with an elegant sword which glittered into the light.

"And you think that you can defeat me," Belasco said. "I showed you mercy when I left my minions to dismantle you."

"Really, you say mercy, but I say that you're a coward," Alia said. "I can hardly believe how weak the supposed Lord of Limbo is. You couldn't tame me by force and you certainly couldn't defeat me in battle."

Belasco's rumbling laughter grew. The laughter masked the anger the demon felt on the inside. Any challenge to his power mandated a response. The demon lord knew the warrior princess baited him.

"You wish to fight me," Belasco answered.

"You wouldn't be my toughest adversary," Alia answered, bored.

"Even, if you defeat me, Earth will be torn apart," Belasco answered.

"Then, let's make this battle interesting," Alia replied. "If I defeat you in battle, you will spare Earth and allow your prisoners to leave. Ginny, Illyana, and your daughter, allow them to leave and be free."

"That's interesting," Belasco answered. "But what happens, when I defeat you."

"If you somehow manage to defeat me, then I'll willingly submit to you," Alia commented.

"Well, then I will enjoy breaking….."

Alia stabbed Belasco through the fleshy part of his suit with her sword. The Warrior Princess retracted the sword and drew first blood.

"Foolish girl!" Belasco yelled. The demon lord summoned several razor sharp daggers and propelled them towards Alia.

Alia utilized her sword to block every last attack. The daggers deflected back at Belasco and cut through the air at an accelerated rate.

The warrior princess needed to stay one step ahead of her enemy. Said adversary tried to bring down the full force of his power on Alia's head. Alia dodged the attack and ended up behind Belasco.

Rapid fire kicks and punches drilled Belasco. The wind left the creature and Belasco turned back around. The creature tried to bring the hammer back down on Alia, but Alia dodged the attack constantly.

"Stand your ground and fight me, you stupid girl!" Belasco yelled.

Belasco shook the ground underneath him and several fiery demonic entities tried to grab Alia and pull the warrior princess underneath. The girl avoided the attack and slammed the sword into the ground. The magical vibration coming from the sword sealed up the crack in the ground.

Ananym flashed in front of them in a beam of light.

"Father, they've been delayed," Ananym answered.

Alia's attention focused slowly on Ananym.

"And now, I'll ensure you get what's coming to you," Ananym replied.

"Excellent, a devoted child," Belasco responded. "Finish the girl off, and do it now."

Ananym rose her hand and fired a bolt of light. The black bolt coursed through the air and struck Belasco. The demon lord fell to his knees and screamed in a blood curdling round of agony. The demon's hands reached for his daughter, as if to strangle the traitorous witch.

"You betrayed me," Belasco growled.

"No, you spurned me first," Ananym said. "And now, it's time to break all of your little toys."

Ananym yanked back a blood red tarp to reveal a blood red altar containing stacks of blood red stones. The witch sighed and shook her head. Someone really did have an annoying fetish regarding the blood red.

"Ananym, stop, you don't know what you're doing!" Belasco shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Actually, father, I know precisely what I'm doing," Ananym said.

A jagged bolt of light shot from Ananym's hand and obliterated the stones. The simple action caused Belasco's demon apart to disappear from Earth.

"He's mortal," Ananym said.

Belasco tried to rise to his feet. Alia refused to allow him this opportunity. The warrior princess rushed forward and the sword swung down. The blade decapitated Belasco at the neck and dropped the demon lord down to the ground.

Alia lifted up one sword soaked in a demon's blood in the token of her victory. This sword might now be unusable in battle, but the sword showcased as a trophy of her triumph suited Alia rather nicely.

The doors opened and the rest of the group waited. Circe spoke up first.

"I'm surprised your plan worked," Circe told Ananym.

"You need to have more faith in the plans of others," Ananym said. "The portal is your ticket home. Belasco is finished. And the spoils of war belong to Princess Alia."

Alia closed the gap between herself and Ananym. The girl's adrenaline still ran hard and fast from the battle. The gap closed between two sides.

"And that includes you," Alia said.

Alia pulled Anamyn into an extremely rough and possessive kiss. The power of the Amazon overwhelmed Ananym. The Princess's lips bruised Ananym's, but she craved even more.

"I do have a soft spot for you and Lily, after all you've done with removing the wand wavers from the equation," Ananym replied. "They pollute the very fabric of magic."

"Well, I'm glad we could be of service," Lily said.

The silenced proved to be fairly awkward. Alia decided to do the best she could to correct that fact. The young woman's attention directed towards Illyana and Ginny.

"Go through the portal," Alia said. She checked the settings. "It's calibrated to one of our safe houses. Wait there for further instructions."

Illyana and Ginny obediently passed through the portal without any thought or question. Alia's personality commanded attention and respect.

Zatanna followed the girls next and Circe brought up the rear. The two magic users passed through the portal and this left Alia and Lily standing next to each other.

"Well, it's finally going to happen, I'm bringing you home," Alia told Lily.

"Yes, you are, you did it, Alia," Lily said. She paused and another fact hit her she thought Alia likely should know. "My body is currently magically preserved in a crypt in Godric's Hallows. There's a good chance my soul will return to that body, instead of forming a new body."

Alia listened carefully to the directions Lily gave her. The warrior princess passed through the portal.

The phoenix song kicked up and gave Lily the encouragement to walk through the portal. Lily braced herself to wake up in the physical world for the first time in a long time.

* * *

Lily's eyes flashed open. The redhead woman hitched in a deep breath and nearly gagged at the smell around her.

The Evans heiress classified everything in the matter of good news or bad news. The good news as Lily saw it, she woke up in the crypt and her body didn't decompose, on the fact of not being dead. Lily shifted over to the bad news. The witch woke up in a crypt with an awful smell.

Not showering for years on account of being a corpse might have something to do with that. Or her late husband's decomposing body lying next to her really might have had something to do with it.

Hunger pains spread through Lily. The middle Evans daughter waited for Alia to come and retrieve her body. Did she honestly have any other choice?

* * *

A second red haired green eyed woman woke up. The girl took note of all of the surroundings around her. The mysterious woman woke up.

The last thing she remembered, the girl fled an Earth about ready to self-destruct in some great crisis, brought upon by a crazed man. The woman fled with her wife, but the two of them separated in some big bang.

Another part of the girl remembered a different fate entirely. The girl recalled a great sacrifice on an asteroid where she rescued a team from utter destruction. A Phoenix song played in the back of the girl's head on a loop.

The screams of millions of people before death resounded in the back of the woman's head.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	36. Resurrection

**Chapter Thirty-Five: Resurrection.**

* * *

The very instant Alia and Zatanna returned, the two girls made the trek to the crypt. Lily's condition showed them while the situation lacked any kind of ideal quality, the second oldest Evans daughter remained alive. Alia followed the woman's instructions to the letter and got her to a safe location.

Alia currently ran over what happened in her mind. The girls very narrowly escaped from Limbo. Belasco's defeat happened due to some inside help. The Warrior Princess stayed confident the creature would fall no matter what. The time taken could take much longer and Alia's relief showed through at the fact they took him down in a less amount of time.

Lily rested in the next room after the two women liberated them. Zatanna sat down next to Alia. The two girls waited to see how Lily pulled through. Both felt confident of the redhead witch's capabilities of pulling through. Regardless of any confidence, many questions occurred.

"So?" Zatanna asked.

"You have questions, don't you?" Alia asked.

"She rested in the crypt for about eight or so years?" Zatanna asked. Alia nodded swiftly in confirmation. "She must have been a wreck, but how did she not…you know."

"Decompose?" Alia asked. Zatanna nodded in confirmation. "Good question, you know."

"It is a good question," Zatanna argued, frowning really deeply. "So, what's the good answering I know you have."

Alia thought about it for a long time and her mother hinted about the reasons why. Magic proved to be an extremely weird process to be honest.

"She never really died," Alia explained. "Thanks to the killing curse, Lily looped into some kind of magical stasis. The people in charge placed in her the crypt because they mistook her for dead. And let's face it, very few people would have checked."

Zatanna agreed.

"But, the moment her spirit went through the portal and rejoined with her body, she woke up," Alia continued. "The situation is not ideal and she's not out of the woods yet. Rowena's checking on her and she'll do what she can do."

Alia folded her hands against her lap.

"Rowena will be able to sort out, what needs to be sorted out," Alia replied. She took a deep breath and Zatanna gripped Alia's hand.

"Even you have to admit, there's a whole lot needed to be sorted out," Zatanna replied.

"Yes, I know," Alia agreed.

The Killing Curse caused damage other than death. Alia thought it might, most people were killed. The Lightning Bolt scar once on her forehead which contained the Horcrux proved this much.

Alia waited and Alia watched. The warrior princess eagerly anticipated Rowena's return. She hoped, the most brilliant witch in history put her mother right. If anyone acquired those skills, Rowena had to be the person.

"It might have been less problematic to create her a new body, and place her inside that," Zatanna said.

"Yes, but that's a rather involved ritual, isn't it?" Alia asked.

"In a sense, yes," Zatanna agreed.

"The potions should do their job, you know," Alia answered. Zatanna nodded in response. She squeezed Alia's hand. "The potions should do their job in restoring what my mother was prior to her third magical maturation at eighteen."

Alia also switched gears. She rescued two young women who needed to talk to her because they bound themselves to her. Given all of the people they potentially could decide to bind themselves to, Alia felt grateful they bound themselves to her, instead of someone else.

"I'll be back," Alia said. "Call me if Rowena has any updates with my mother."

"Right," Zatanna murmured.

Alia swept in and kissed Zatanna lightly on the cheek. The magical girl tingled from Alia's lips meeting her cheek.

Ginny and Illyana sat in the next room. Both girls finished up their check ups with Rowena to ensure Belasco never left any tricks behind.

Alia bent down and started to speak in Russian with Illyana. Ginny pouted and felt she got left out of the loop.

"So, how are you feeling?" Alia asked.

"Better," Illyana said in a clipped tone. "Your Russian is very good."

"Thanks, I took the time to master a few languages," Alia answered. "But, you do know more English than you let on."

"Yes, it's been really funny to see her mime everything," Illyana replied. "Guess, I was jealous at being replaced…..he really did a number on me, didn't he?"

Alia grabbed Ilyana's hand and squeezed it tightly.

"You'll recover," Alia said. The warrior princess asked the obvious question, "How did Belasco tempt you?"

"It was that witch called Ananym," Illyana said in a low voice. "She posed as my brother's friend, Katya, and I thought I heard her calling. By the time I realized what happened, it was much too late."

Alia turned her attention towards Ginny.

"So, how did Belasco get you down there?"

"Well, Ananym posed as a friend," Ginny responded. "She seemed to be the perfect friend, a bit weird, but perfect."

"Perfection is hard to attain, even with the best of us," Alia told Ginny in a gentle voice.

"I know," Ginny agreed. She really wanted to see the best out of this girl, but she would be wrong. "I'm so not ready to talk to my family."

Alia placed a hand on top of Ginny's and leaned in.

"Talk to them when you're ready and not a second before," Alia replied.

Ginny felt glad Alia supported her all the way. She needed a pick me up and some kind of support.

"I feel sorry for her in a way, Ananym," Ginny said. "I mean, sure she did some bad things, but she was a victim."

"What happened to her?" Illyana piped in. The girl sounded less kind about Ananym than Ginny. "Did she…."

"She's waiting for me," Alia answered. "I'll decide how to best punish her for her crimes. She may even enjoy it."

The two girls shuddered at the implications of Alia's words. Ginny leaned towards Alia and pondered what to say next.

"So, is it true?" Ginny asked. Alia raised an eyebrow. "Dumbledore abandoned you to Muggles, didn't he?"

"Yes, he did, but it wasn't bad, because I got rescued," Alia said. "And you know who I am and I think you can figure out why no one can know."

"Hey, I would never breath a word to a soul," Ginny said. The girl sounded almost annoyed Alia thought she might do such a thing. "But, you know, it might be hard to prove you're Alexandra Potter anyway. You're much older than you should be."

"You are too," Alia said. "You two girls get some rest and I'll take care of both of you later."

"Oh, I'm sure," Illyana said.

Illyana understood her mistress worried more about her mother. The demonic beauty understood this fact.

Alia left the two girls, not alone, but more to rest other than anything else. Zatanna leaned back and greeted Alia the moment she sat down.

"Nothing, yet," Zatanna whispered.

The two young adult women waited. The wait felt longer, even though it only amounted to a few moments.

Rowena left the room. Alia rose to her feet and crossed the distance across the floor to speak with the most brilliant witch who ever lived.

"She's currently resting now," Rowena informed Alia. "All she needs is time and rest. I'll check on Illyana and Ginny right now and since if they're fine."

"Thank you," Alia responded.

Alia thought she could finally rest and get on with her life with her mother being back. One of the events defining the warrior princess wrapped to a close. The girl thought, perhaps assumed, she rested more easily when Lily left.

"Why don't you get some sleep?" Rowena asked. "We wouldn't want you to become ill."

'_Yes, given how bad things happen when you don't sleep, it's a good idea you try and get some, Alia,' _Diana prompted her sister.

Alia hated Diana telling her what to do, but in this case, the girl's older sister raised a really good point.

* * *

Smallville recovered quite nicely from the demonic invasion. The moment Belasco fell in battle, the demons disappeared on Earth. The result left the people who witnessed it with an interesting story for their grandchildren.

Alia Evans turned up at Smallville Middle School to meet Donna on her lunch break.

'_Have to say, the teachers are either dedicated or sadists for keeping school back in session after that,' _Donna commented.

'_What about a little bit of both?' _Kara asked.

'_Actually, I can go with that, a little bit of both,' _Donna agreed.

Alia smiled and saw a group of students walking around campus on their break. They looked up when this imposing and rather tall young woman.

'_So, after the time in Limbo, how old are you now?' _Kara asked.

'_I'm not sure if it will be wise to do the math,' _Fleur answered. _'My sister is disappointed she didn't get sent to Limbo.'_

No one asked why Gabrielle registered her disappointment on such a thing.

The teenagers at Smallville Middle School looked at Alia. The girls whispered at each other in excitement.

Donna parted the crowd and rushed towards her.

"Alia, I'm glad to see you," Donna commented. She rushed and hugged the teacher.

The simple fact Donna hugged Alia got people talking and no doubt, the rumor mill swung into full blast like students their age would do.

Donna smiled and Alia caught sight of Claire and Lana, who hung out with another blonde. The blond looked at Alia with a surprised look.

"So, how are you, Claire, Lana?" Alia asked.

"Fine," Claire said with a smile. "It's a good thing a mysterious blur saved the day."

Speaking of the devil, Kara turned up to join the rest of the group.

"Kara, what are you doing here?" Claire asked.

"I'm here to check up on my favorite cousin," Kara answered. She moved forward and hugged Claire with a smile on her face. "After all of the weirdness you were in the middle of, how couldn't I?"

Claire pulled away from Kara, smiling. Fair enough, she guessed.

"You know Alia Evans?" the blonde asked suddenly.

"Yes, I know, she's my cousin, through her mother's side," Claire said.

"And she's my cousin, through her father's side of the family," Lana said.

"I can't believe you know someone that amazing," she said. "My name is Chloe Sullivan, and I've been following you for some time, Ms. Evans. It's such an honor, I mean, I can't believe that I'm actually meeting you here in the flesh. Is it true you've created a computer that can load information faster than I finish this sentence?"

"Even faster," Alia confirmed.

"Wow," Chloe breathed in excitement. She finally took a breath after finishing. "That's really fast."

"Yes, it is, given you won't shut up," Claire said. Chloe gave Claire a mocking look.

'_Hey, Alia, you have another stalker,' _Kara teased her girlfriend.

'_Add her to the growing list, add her to the growing list,' _Alia said.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Chloe," Alia said. "You must be new, because I haven't seen you around."

"Well, yeah, I transferred in just yesterday, and….that wasn't your average first day of school at Smallville, was it?" Chloe asked. "Although, I did some research, and the town is a magnet for weirdness, and the bad kind of weirdness as well. This blur who showed up and helped trounced those demons, she is amazing."

Kara's smugness barely hid itself. Granted, she barely had any opportunity to fight these demons. The blonde Kryptonian refused to pat herself on the back too much. A pat on the back only showed to be about six inches away from a kick up the ass.

Alia smiled.

'_Everyone did okay, Kara did well, Cass did well, and I…well I held my own,' _Donna said.

'_I'm sure that you did great, Donna,' _Alia answered. _'You protected the children and that's all that mattered.'_

Donna smiled and realized Alia's point proved to be sound. Everyone came out okay. She really did have middle child syndrome where she needed to prove herself. Those opportunities where Donna accomplished something which got her the attention of either of her sisters, made her smile.

'_For the record, there's no need for you to fight for our attention,' _Diana chimed in sternly. _'You have it already.'_

'_I thank you for that,' _Donna agreed.

Zatanna flashed into Alia's line of sight on an astral plane. Alia turned her attention to the dark-haired magic user.

'_I checked out things, and there are no residual traces of magical energy in the two locations where either Ginny or Illyana had been kidnapped,' _Zatanna said. _'I believe we're safe now.'_

Alia smiled and felt a weight lift off of her heart. All proved to be more than well and the Amazon princess needed to move forward.

A visit to Smallville proved to be nice and now she needed to return to Illyana and Ginny to check up on both girls.

* * *

Alia returned to meet with both of the girls. Much to the warrior's surprise, she came face to face with Ananym.

"I'm here," Ananym responded.

"I can see that," Alia said.

Alia looked at the same demon who tricked two girls to go along with her on a trip to what basically amounted to hell. At least, Limbo took the form of hell when Belasco ruled the roost. From what the Warrior Princess learned, Limbo took the form of whoever ruled and now Ananym ruled, things were a little less messed up.

A little less messed up, but there were still elements which looked to be messed up. Ananym's issues looked to be frustrating to deal with and Alia took everything one step at a time.

"I'm here to make amends with what I've done," Ananym answered. "I'm not going to deny that I've done some really bad things, to some really good people."

"You have," Alia agreed.

"Yes, I have," Ananym answered. "And so I'm here to make amends and give yourself to me. The spoils of war belong to you after all. Make me your bitch, if you'd like. Do whatever you want to with me."

Alia crossed the room and leaned towards Ananym. Ananym felt a little hot under the collar when the warrior princess approached the demon princess.

"So, you want me to do whatever I want to with you?" Alia asked. Ananym nodded in confirmation. Alia's lips curled into a smile. "You do realize anything gives me a pretty liberal license of what to do with you."

Ananym realized just as much and hoped Alia took liberties with her.

"You are my bitch now, and there's no need for me to make you one," Alia answered.

Ananym felt her clothes fade from her body, exposing her nude form in all of its glory. A primal look flashed through Alia's eyes.

"Bitches don't need clothing," Alia said. Alia smiled when she looked over Ananym like a piece of meat.

Ananym shuddered when she felt Alia's burning gaze take her body in. Alia visually devoured the girl like she amounted to little more than a piece of meat.

"I bet you like that, don't you?" Alia asked. "I bet you like me looking you over like that, don't you?"

"Yes," Ananym said with a shudder.

"You're nothing but a piece of fuck meat," Alia said. "A good looking piece of fuck meat, who is begging for me."

Alia leaned towards her and kissed Ananym fiercely on the lips. The demon girl sighed when the powerful Amazon overwhelmed her with her talented tongue. The girl nearly choked for the pleasure.

Suddenly, Ananym found herself in chains, slumped against the wall. Her nipples stuck out, begging to be touched. Alia refused to put her hands on them.

"Yes, I know you'd like to be fucked," Alia said. "That's not going to happen though, at least not now."

"Why?" Ananym asked.

"You are being punished, and I'm going to watch you as I put two girls you obviously thought as inferior you through the paces, getting the pleasure you think should be yours," Alia informed Ananym.

Ananym's pussy throbbed. She got into being potentially demeaned more than she felt she should.

Illyana and Ginny stepped inside. Both fifteen year old girls dressed in what essentially amounted to slave girl outfits. The golden material barely covered what needed to be covered.

"They know what I want from them," Alia answered. She smiled. "You'll feel their pleasure, long for it to be yours, and maybe it could be. And then, maybe, I'll let you cum."

"Please," Ananym said. "I've been a bad girl."

"A very bad girl," Ginny answered. "Because, you're not a good girl, because you tricked me, and now I get what you want."

Ginny wrapped her arms around Alia and kissed the hell out the warrior princess. The two tangled their tongues together.

Illyana refused to be done better. She really tried to kiss Alia. Alia returned the favor, kissing Illyana extremely hard. The Russian demoness choked out Alia's tongue when her quick hands moved over her body.

Ananym's body ached with anticipation and frustration.

* * *

"Rowena gave me the good news," Alia said. She practically sang, which was odd because her singing voice made the ears of anyone who unfortunately listened bleed. "My mother is going to make a full recovery."

"Really, that's great," Zatanna replied.

"And I'd really like to thank you for all of what you've done for me, in this time," Alia said. "I'd like to thank Circe as well, but for some reason, after we left Limbo, she did a runner."

'_Odd, Circe isn't around to bask in the glory of her role,' _Donna answered.

'_Maybe something happened to her,' _Diana said.

'_Well, don't seem too broken up about it, now,' _Betsy teased. _'It is out of character though, isn't it?'_

Alia smiled and pulled herself away from the bond banter.

"I'm sure Circe will turn back up when we least expect," Zatanna offered. Alia smiled. "I wonder what you did to get in her debt."

"Well, she hasn't outright explained it, more hinted about it," Alia answered.

The two girls sat down on the nice couch. Zatanna and Alia fit extremely tightly on this particular couch, but the fit proved to be a rather cozy one.

"Well, Voldemort and his followers caused magic to gain a really bad reputation in some circles," Zatanna said. "Anything can get a bad reputation if it becomes misused."

Alia nodded grimly. The magic which enabled Voldemort's immortality proved as much. The base magic for the Horcruxes intended to be use to put bodies in magical stasis to find a cure for disease. Some inventive wizard took the magic and turned it into something else. Other people turned and twisted it, until someone figured out using the killing curse allowed for a temporary separation of the soul.

The Horcrux ritual came from there.

"So, I'm really glad that my mother is going to be alright," Alia said.

"Hey, if she's as strong as you, she's going to be just fine," Zatanna answered.

"I hope she'll be well enough, before I head off to Vegas," Alia answered. "Otherwise, I might have to cancel the trip."

"Oh, Vegas," Zatanna said in a wistful tone. "I haven't had a chance to be there….since my mother was performing."

The woman took a moment to recover. Her mother died a long time ago. Zatanna held onto those cherished memories, trying to figure out the secret of how her mother accomplished the tricks.

Zatanna thought she might have been able to form her own path, using the best parts of both sets of her parents.

"I thought about performing there," Zatanna said. "I can't perform in too many areas in the world….well actually Europe's pretty much off limits, you know, because of the Statute of Secrecy thing."

Alia realized what they meant. She felt herself to be less than a fan of the Statute of Secrecy than most would expect. The problem she saw resulted in picking out a huge flaw in the plan. Memory modification seldom ended up ideally. All it took is one slip up and a person who had holes in their mind began to wonder.

"That might be less of a problem because wand wavers are a dying breed these days," Alia responded.

"Odd habits, they die hard," Zatanna said with a shrug.

"Would you like to come to Vegas?" Alia asked. Zatanna blinked. "A group of us, myself, Kara, Diana, Betsy, Meggan, and Alison are going on a trip."

"Why are you heading to Vegas?" Zatanna asked.

"After all I've been through, don't you think I deserve a bit of a vacation?" Alia responded.

"Yeah, just a bit of one," Zatanna agreed laughing.

"Karen Starr invited me to a business convention in town, and it's a good way for SLE to lift their profile," Alia answered. "And Alison is having her first show in Vegas. After the Shaw incident, I figure she should use the moral support. And it needs an opening act."

"Are you asking me?" Zatanna asked.

"I hoped you would do me a favor," Alia said. "Didn't you just say you wanted to perform in Vegas?"

"Actually, yes, it could be fun."

"Great, Ali will be thrilled," Alia answered.

The two girls rose to their feet and embraced. The two took things one step further and leaned into each other.

A passionate kiss followed. Zatanna felt tingles go down her spine. Alia kissed divinely, but Zatanna expected no less from a demi-goddess.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	37. Prelude to Vegas

**Chapter Thirty-Six: Prelude to Vegas.**

* * *

Lily woke up. Her body experienced a lot of aches and pains, but given the alternative, Lily found she could be far worse off. The prodigal witch raised her head off of the pillow and looked around. The room she rested in proved to be comfortable, and elegant, but she expected no less from the Society.

As a matter of fact, Lily might be upset if the Society didn't offer her the very best. She thought had things been differently, she would have rose rather high to the ranks. Audrey Evans, her mother, ascended to the position of the Red Queen and Lily felt the role could be hers.

"So, how are you feeling?"

Lily looked up and smiled when Alia leaned at the doorframe. The redheaded witch felt really happy to see her daughter and motioned for Alia to join her.

"Like I got pulled back from the brink of death," Lily said with a smile. "But, you're my daughter, so I should be the one who should be asking you how you feel."

Alia didn't answer at first. The Amazon summoned a chair and parked it off by the side of the table.

"And shouldn't you be getting ready for Vegas?" Lily added. It wasn't as an afterthought for Lily, no Lily's first thought amounted to asking Alia about the Vegas trip. "I might have lost track of the time during my recovery, but isn't the trip in two days."

The warrior princess's lips curled into another smile.

"You know, if you want me to cancel….."

"When did I ever say or even think about implying I want you to cancel your Vegas trip?" Lily asked. She sounded almost scandalized Alia might think such a thing. "You need a Vegas after what happened. You walked through hell , practically, to save those girls."

Alia smiled, she did, didn't she?

"You did deflect my question a tiny bit," Alia answered.

"Aren't you deflecting mine?" Lily replied in a cheeky tone.

The two stubborn forces collapsed. One could see from the outside where the daughter got her attitude form, at least in part of it. For a moment, the two Evans women stared down each other. The older one softened, perhaps because of age, but perhaps maybe because of a desire not to upset her daughter.

"Yes, as I mentioned to you, I feel like I've been brought back from the brink of death, and well….it's not really that pleasant," Lily replied. She groaned and leaned back on the bed. "My body has been in state for eight years. I needed to eat, but my body rejected a lot of what I ate, until Rowena put me right."

"I didn't know you were that bad off," Alia said.

"Oh, now I'm much better off," Lily answered. "Just sore and tired, but you know things could be a lot worse."

"You know, just because things could be a lot worse, doesn't make things that much better," Alia answered firmly to her mother. "Well, if you want….."

"You're going to Vegas, Alia," Lily said. "The break would do you some good. And Rose and Martha will be here, and Rowena will be as well. Can you really think about two sets of hands?"

Alia conceded there were likely very few sets of hands more equipped to take care of her mother and most importantly make sure the woman did what she needed to do to make a full recovery.

"Are you sure you don't need me?" Alia asked.

"It's appreciated, but you're the one who needs a vacation," Lily answered.

"Well, I'll be sure to do you proud by relaxing," Alia responded. "You have no idea what kind of foreign concept relaxing is to me, you know?"

Lily laughed, she might have a really good idea. The woman smiled, she had to say, she found it rather liberating to talk to her daughter.

"One more thing I might ask of you before you leave," Lily said. "First, I'd like to thank you for saving me from being trapped in between, even with all of the risks."

"Mother, I would have done it, no matter what the risks," Alia said. "And everything worked out just fine, you're here, and you'll be better than ever soon."

Lily felt confident she would. She might have been on track to be Sorcerer/Sorceress Supreme caliber before Voldemort attacked. Was that too confident of her abilities? Lily didn't agree. If a person didn't have ambition regarding their abilities, than honestly, how would they improve?

"I do want to see the place where you grew up," Lily remarked in a soft voice. "I know I saw parts of it when I visited the Temple of the Goddesses, but I want to see it and personally thank Hippolyta for all she's done for you."

Alia smiled, and she envisioned her two mothers together.

"Well, when you get better, we're heading home for a visit."

* * *

Ginny turned up outside of the Burrow. The teenage witch struggled to think of a good reason why she might be outside of this particular place, other than wanting closure. The last time her family saw her, Ginny was an eight-year-old girl and now she aged twice as much. The girl dressed in a black leather jacket, a nice white shirt, and jean shorts. She adjusted her jacket, to hide the marks her mistress made on her neck.

The Burrow sounded quiet. No shouting, no sound of activity. Ginny figured she must have been gone for a couple of weeks at most in the real world, although much time passed. Anyone who tried to apply math to magic might have been in trouble.

Ginny hoped her father answered, maybe one of her older brothers rushed back when they found out Ginny vanished. The Burrow felt rather eerie. The demonic magic in the air continued to haunt Ginny and she felt herself bombarded by some really awful memories.

'_Anyone, but Mum,' _Ginny thought to herself, almost pleading.

The redhead bit the bullet and started to knock on the door. Ginny waited for the person on the other end of the door to answer.

The door opened and Molly Weasley answered. Ginny immediately realized how bad of an idea coming back proved to be. Her mother would be the one to answer the door, ninety-nine times out of one hundred. Why would this be any different?

"Who are you?" Molly asked.

Ginny scoffed. Her mother seemed to be as charming as she remembered. The redhead's frown deepened.

"I'm Ginny, I'm your daughter," Ginny answered. "I spent eight years in another dimension and aged there."

Molly's arms threw around Ginny and pulled her into a crushing hug. For being so relieved to see her daughter, Molly appeared to be extremely intent on her killing her. Ginny finally pulled herself away from the overbearing woman.

"My poor baby!" Molly wailed at the top of her lungs. She staggered back and looked to be a bit overdramatic, just a tad. "Being forced to grow up so fast, no child should have to go with that."

Ginny rolled her eyes. No, if Molly had things her way, any child of hers would be a child forever. The Weasley matriarch tried to treat Bill and Charlie like children even after they left Hogwarts and they got the furthest jobs possible away. Molly treated their employment as a failure of being a proper mother.

So Molly tripled all efforts to her remaining five children. This style of parenting did wonders for Percy and Ron. They grew up to be so well-adjusted, Ginny thought.

Was the sarcasm too evident in her thoughts? Ginny could not really tell.

"You should be a little girl, playing with your dolls, not having to worry about….being a teenager," Molly breathed.

Molly Weasley stated the word "teenager" like it was some really bad taboo and for this woman, Ginny figured it just might be. The youngest Weasley sat herself down on the table.

"Don't worry, Ginny, don't worry my precious little girl, everything will be okay," Molly said. She played with Ginny's hair.

Ginny scooted the chair away from her mother in disgust. Molly seemed numb to any disgust her daughter had.

'_How can she get this much worse in the two weeks I was gone?' _Ginny asked.

'_That does take talent,' _Fleur inputted dryly. _'Oh, and welcome to the bond network. You might hear voices inside your head, but you're not going crazy….well not completely anyway.'_

'_Lovely,' _Ginny answered.

"I know, Dumbledore can fix this,' Molly answered.

Ginny blinked and wondered if she heard her mother correctly. The redhead groaned, of course she heard her mother correctly. Why wouldn't she hear her mother correctly?

"Albus Dumbledore is dead," Ginny replied in the coolest, most firm voice she could imagine.

"Ginny, I think you're confused," Molly said. "Albus isn't dead, he's merely hiding. He had to go away for a long time, but surely he'll come back and put you right as rain."

Ginny knew now denial wasn't just a river in Egypt.

"He hid to make sure the Girl-Who-Lived, who is also still alive, will enjoy her life," Molly said. "And one day, Alexandra Potter will marry Ron and give me all of the grandbabies I could ever want, like a proper lady should."

Alia not being here was quite fortune. Ginny found her mother's delusions to be disgusting enough for the both of them .What kind of woman would have Ron?

Ginny witnessed her mother slip into a delusional rant and she waved her hand. Molly fell asleep at the table. A quick memory modification made Molly think this entire encounter ended up being little more than a dream.

The youngest Weasley, well technically third oldest now, scrawled a note to her older brothers and father, providing they didn't leave to go elsewhere to avoid her mother. Ginny hardly blamed them if they did. She scrawled the note and left it where only her father or Bill or Charlie could find it. Hopefully they would have enough sense not to press the issue.

Ginny left the Burrow for the last time. The memories weren't all bad, but her final one tainted the overall experience.

* * *

Rose turned up at Lily's room, to check on her sister.

"Hello, Rose," Lily said. A big smile spread over Lily's face. "Come in, sit down, and make yourself at home."

Rose crossed the room and a comfortable chair appeared for her. She sank down onto the chair, a prominent smile twitching across her lips.

"I have to ask, how are you feeling?" Rose asked Lily.

"Well like I came back from the brink of death in all of the wrong ways," Lily answered. She smiled and moved. "Still sore slightly, but the soreness is not as much as it was."

Rose smiled. After all of this time, Lily returned and a happy feeling swelled in Rose's body to look at her older sister.

"Never mind me, how are you doing?" Lily asked her.

"I'm fine," Rose answered.

"Are you really fine?" Lily asked Rose.

"I'm really good, I've never been better," Rose answered. "I've been busy, working with the company and the society."

"I know you have, I've been watching where I can and I've visited you a couple of times," Lily said. "Not as much as I liked, and I'm sorry about that."

Rose reached forward and touched the top of her hand to Lily's. The two sister's joined together in this moment. Both sets of identical green eyes met each other and Rose smiled when she edged towards Lily.

"I'm so proud of what you've done, Rose," Lily said. "All of the work you've accomplished, and raising two daughters on top of that….our daughters."

"I have to say, that ritual did have some interesting results," Rose responded. Lily laughed. "And it's interesting in a really good way, isn't it?"

"Well, the problem with experimental charms is you never know how they'll come out until it's all said and done," Lily replied.

Rose laughed. Lily's ambition got them into trouble with working with experimental charms in the worst ways, but the twins proved to be one of the rare instances where Lily's inventive nature got them into trouble in the best way possible.

"So, when will I get to meet our daughters?" Lily asked.

"When you recover a little bit more," Rose told Lily. "Trust me when I say this, but you're going to need to recover a little more to deal with Amanda and Emily."

Lily frowned and moved up. Rose took the opportunity to readjust her pillow and allowed Lily to lay back.

"So, are they about on the same level as we were when we were that age?" Lily asked.

Rose snickered a little bit and grew completely serious when she looked her sister in the eyes.

"Well, one could say they were like us at that age," Rose confirmed. "You know, some of the insanity we got into. We drove Petunia up a wall."

Lily wrinkled her nose. She hoped Petunia's particular name failed to come up in the conversation.

"Another reason I need to thank Hippolyta for taking Alexandra in," Lily said. "She would have been stuck at the Dursleys. I don't know what Dumbledore was thinking."

"Likely he was right and let's face it, enough people told Dumbledore he was the greatest thing since sliced bread, he believed it was true," Rose answered.

"I find sliced bread really overreacted to be honest," Lily deadpanned. Rose snickered at her sister's words. "And it turns out I find Dumbledore about on the same level, so imagine that."

"Yes, imagine that," Rose agreed. "You really are alright, aren't you?"

"Yes," Lily said. "Do you want to take my temperature and find out?"

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time I shoved something up your ass," Rose said.

Lily smiled, Rose really had a good point. The two of them shared a fairly interesting relationship with each other. The more liberated roles of the Society allowed them to do that. Petunia ended up being the odd one, craving a more normal life. The people who wanted to be normal often ended up being the strangest ones of all.

"So, I am the Red Queen," Rose said.

"Congratulations, you deserve it," Lily said.

"The spot should be yours," Rose said.

"It would have been, if I hadn't went on an eight year hiatus," Lily answered. "You picked up the slack and you did the work. You deserve the role. Now, if you want me to advise you, I'll be happy to do it."

All good leaders need their advisors and Lily, in her own biased opinion, could not think of a better advisor for her baby sister than herself.

"So, Alia and her friends left for Vegas, didn't they?" Lily asked.

"Yes, they did," Rose confirmed. "I assured Alia, that Martha, Rowena, and I would take good care of you, make sure you take all of your potions and eat a balanced diet."

"At least your potions don't taste like cat vomit," Lily replied.

"I don't even want to know how you know how you know how cat vomit tastes back," Rose said.

"Sirius accidentally hexed me in my fourth year," Lily said. "He aimed for Snape, too bad he didn't get him."

"Well, I'm sure Snape's in a better place right now," Rose said.

"For us, yes, for him, maybe not," Lily confirmed. Lily couldn't believe she befriended Snape, but he didn't start getting really weird to around their fifth year. "I got Sirius back. For a year, every time he got thoughts about a woman….or maybe a man, I don't know what his sexual preferences was."

"Well, those were that prank where we started those rumors about him and Lupin," Rose said. "And if you knew about Sirius's Animagus form and Lupin's furry little problem, the Furries would riot."

Lily's lips cracked into a smile.

"Anyway, he got an uncontrollable burst of hives every time he thought sexual thoughts about anyone," Lily replied. "So, how is Sirius now?"

"He's on a tropical island, out of the way," Rose said. "The authorities haven't contacted me, so I'm assuming he hasn't gotten into trouble. Or he hasn't gotten caught."

"Imagine that," Lily said. "How about Remus?"

"Still moody as fuck about that time of the month," Rose answered.

"So, in other words, still acting like a woman about his furry little problem," Lily said.

"Oh, and you're not going to like this," Rose said. She didn't even know whether or not she should tell Lily this. "Someone is taking credit for your work, you know, the Wolfsbane potion….."

"I thought of an even better method to control those symptoms, where they might not have to transform, although they will have a craving for chocolate," Lily said. Rose raised her eyebrow. "What, I've had a lot of time to think in between visits to you and Alia."

"I'm certain Honeydukes will endorse you," Rose said, snickering in amusement. "So, how fully formed is this idea?"

"Just needs testing," Lily answered.

Rose could see Lily's ambition mind didn't waver in her time away. Rose's happiness expanded like a balloon at having her sister back.

* * *

Illyana returned to the Xavier Institute. The girl felt Ginny's rage and her strong demonic urge to burn the Burrow to the ground with Molly Weasley inside it bubbled to the surface.

The urge suppressed itself after a moment of time. Illyana hoped her trip to the Institute bared more success than Ginny's trip to the Burrow. Illyana walked up and knocked on the door. A black top with a cleavage window covered the north end of Illyana's body and a pair of extremely tight black pants made the second half of her body. A pair of fingerless black gloves and a black choker, along with leather boots added to fun.

The door opened and a beautiful brunette of about eighteen years old greeted Illyana. She tied her hair back into a ponytail. A blue top rode up slightly to show her taut stomach and Illyana's eyes looked at her perky B-Cup breasts. She wore a skirt showing a nice pair of legs as well and Illyana hoped she turned around to verify the fact this brunette had a nice ass.

"I'm looking for Piotr," Illyana said. Her English picked up a lot since she bonded with Alia. She also knew a fair amount of French and some other languages thanks to the bond, including alien languages.

"Sorry, he's not here," the brunette said. Her eyes darted to the girl's cleavage, and blushed. "He's, um, he's…..well he's out looking for his sister, she might have run away."

"I didn't run away, I was tricked on going off with someone," Illyana said.

"Illyana?" the brunette asked.

"Katya, it's good to see you again," Illyana said. She hugged the girl.

Kitty Pryde, now one of the senior members of the X-Men on the account of being a New Mutant, didn't really know what to make of this.

"It's really good to see you, too, you've grown up," Kitty breathed.

"You're really not surprised?" Illyana asked.

"Illyana, I'm an X-Men, what really surprises me anymore?" Kitty asked her.

Illyana didn't have any answer to this question. She shifted her lips into a grin and pulled Kitty closer towards her.

Seconds later, an extremely breath taking woman with chocolate skin and elegant features turned up. She dressed in a skintight black universe hugging around her breasts and ass. These universes might seem like a bit much, but wearing them extremely close to the skin meant powers were easier to use.

The other alternative would be to fly around naked. Ororo honestly didn't mind doing something like that.

"Yes, Ororo, what is it?" Kitty asked.

"Someone resembling Jean has been sighted," Ororo said.

"That's….that's….that's….why shouldn't I be surprised?" Kitty stammered. "Jean sacrificed herself on Asteroid M to save us, didn't save Scott and the Professor, but….well we moved on from that, didn't we?"

"The Phoenix always rises."

Ororo turned to the girl who said this in a cryptic voice. The weather witch found herself so caught up in the insanity of an old friend returning she neglected to notice this fetching girl.

"Illyana, it's Illyana," she told her.

"But you were six years old," Ororo said.

"I know, and now I'm sixteen," Illyana answered. "I'll explain it to you later. I did hear a Phoenix song on my way back though."

Illyana owed them an explanation, but she could tell it could wait.

* * *

The redhead woman staggered around, now dressed in a change of clothes. The stranded female sounded rather confused. Maybe her name was Jaime, maybe it was Jean, maybe it was Hope, she didn't know.

Regardless, the woman felt confused and nearly collapsed.

She saw a mansion, some kind of school for the gifted, in her memories. The location she envisioned proved to be her best bet.

"Halt."

A group of women dressed in silk black bodysuits showed up and surrounded the redhead. They held what appeared to be stingers in their hands and they emitted electricity.

"You are going to come with us, on the order of Queen Bee and the HIVE," the lead drone answered.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" the terrified woman howled at the top of her lungs.

The woman fired a heated blast from her hands and the drones fell over like ninepins. The girl started breathing heavily in and out.

Her powers acted in an erratic manner. The mystery redhead tried to twist her arms, but found the attempts to do so become increasingly difficult.

A shockwave erupted at the base of her spine and the woman dropped down to her knees, a stabbing pain going through her spine. Something snapped around her neck.

The inhibitor collar put her to sleep.

"We have her," one of the drones said.

"Excellent, the other one is in sight, prepare to go to the next phase," the voice at the other end of the communication stated.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	38. What Happens in Vegas

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: What Happens in Vegas….**

* * *

Alia enjoyed the change of scenery in Las Vegas, especially after everything happening to her over the past few months. Kara took a prominent spot to her right hand and Diana took a prominent spot on her left hand. Betsy followed them into the club, with Meggan following behind close by.

Karen joined the group, and Alison made her way in, dressed sort of incognito not to attract any attention. Alia whipped her up a nice little disguise which made the girl's trip a bit of an inconspicuous one, if she wanted that. Finally, Zatanna brought up the rear and quite a nice rear at that.

"Finally, vacation," Diana said.

"Yes, I know, things have been really insane, haven't they?" Kara asked.

"You can say that again," Betsy said. Kara opened her mouth, but the purple haired mutant chuckled and cut her off. "And I didn't mean that one to be literal, luv."

Kara folded her arms underneath her chest and broke out into quite the little pout. Okay, not necessarily a little pout, she broke out into a big pout. Alia reached around and patted Kara on the back of the neck.

"Vacation, is all I ever wanted," Kara managed.

"I know," Alia agreed. "And with us being together, vacation is exactly what you're going to need."

Kara's lips brushed against Alia's with a nice kiss.

"You know, all and all, you need the vacation more than I do," Kara answered with a knowing smile.

"You don't say?" Alia asked. Her casual statement caused Kara to snicker.

Alia didn't deny the fact she needed some time off. The girl worked herself to the bone so hard, she barely left herself with a sense of sanity.

"So, how are things going for the concert tour?" Alia asked Alison.

"Well, pretty good, I mean the first ten nights are sold out, kicking things off in Vegas," Alison said. She turned to Zatanna. "And thank you for opening up the show for me…..I need a really good opening act."

"It wasn't really a problem," Zatanna responded. She placed her hand on the shoulder of the younger girl and smiled. "It shouldn't be too hard to set them up, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Alison said.

The girl looked forward to facing her fans and also nerves. The mutant thing blew over, but what if someone brought it back?

"Relax, honey, you'll do fine," Alia said.

Alia squeezed Alison's hand and swooped down, kissing the young pop star on the cheek. The girl shifted.

"If you believe in me….." Alison said. Her chest swelled, rising and falling when Alia looked her directly in the eye.

"I certainly believe in you," Alia answered. "But, believing in yourself is all that matters in the end, so just go out there and knock them dead."

Alison grinned, she would do just that. Hopefully she wouldn't embarrass herself too much. Actually, she hoped to not really embarrass herself much at all.

Alia's eyes swept over the machines. Karen smiled when she looked at Alia.

"Try at your own risk, trust me," Karen said.

"No kidding," an attractive blonde woman wearing glasses and dressed in a tight little black dress which fit her figure stated. "I mean….those machines are just made to part you with your quarters."

Alia raised her eyebrow.

"Sorry, I've lived in Vegas for a long time, and I've seen many people blow their entire paychecks," the woman said. "It's a one in sixty chance to get a hit, and sometimes that one and sixty hits one time, and burns through their entire winnings, it's insane….not that I'm saying you're insane."

"If you did, I'd have to agree with you," Alia said, her smile barely fading from her face. Regardless, the young woman turned her full attention to the machine and saw what awaited her.

Kara stepped in front of her and looked at the machine utilizing her X-Ray vision in the process.

'_Yes, rigged, I can see it,' _Kara said.

'_Just needs magical hands,' _Alia said.

"Yeah, those machines just give you enough of a hit to…..well to keep people coming, but these casinos didn't stay in business by making a ton of money," the girl rambled up.

"I'm pretty sure it just needs the right touch," Alia said.

"Well, you look like you have a pretty good touch," the young blonde rambled on and she shook her head. "And here I go again, my mouth must really hate me, because it says the things my brain says in the wrong way."

"It happens to the best of us," Kara said. "Just watch and see what Alia does."

Alia smiled and slipped her coin inside the machine. The warrior princess pulled the level.

A shower of coins came out the machine. The woman at the counter's mouth opened and she looked at Alia.

"Okay, one in sixty, probable you'd hit, now….."

"One more time," Alia said.

"One more time, turns into two more times, and two more times turns into fifty more times," she warned Alia.

"I swear, if I don't hit this one, it will just be one more time," Alia told her gently. "Trust me, I've got this one."

The woman's lips curled into a frown and watched to see another good portion burn away a small fortune.

The machine hit for the second time in a row for the same person and another shower of coins hit the machine.

"That shouldn't happen," she breathed. The woman lived in Vegas for a long time, and she saw a million idiots destroy their savings.

"I'm the master of doing what shouldn't happen," the girl answered with a cheeky grin. "My name is Alia Evans."

"Felicity Smoak," she answered. "Wait, you're….THE ALIA EVANS!"

"Why, yes, yes, I am," Alia said. "And you're Felicity Smoak…..I understand Queen Industries has aggressively recruited you to be part of their IT department, but…..I believe SLE has a different pitch for you."

Felicity didn't expect to get a job interview here and she could only nod.

"I'd be happy to work underneath you….I mean for you," Felicity blurted out. She hung her head down in shame.

Alia reached down and cupped her chin, pushing her face up.

"Don't worry, darling, I know what you mean," Alia said.

* * *

Ororo hoped she might find Jean, if Jean still existed out there. The small group of X-men arrived. Kitty jumped on the chance to join on the mission.

"So, are you sure you're on the right track?" a curvy dark haired woman with a white stripe down her head said.

The woman's uniform clung to every inch of her impressive body in the most enticing and extremely delightful manner. Anyone who caught a glimpse of it would be blown away by the woman's beauty, even though they could look, but they couldn't touch.

"I'm certain of it," Ororo answered.

"Completely, or you just have a gut feeling?" Kitty asked.

Ororo contemplated Kitty's question. Good question actually, as far as Kity thought at the very least.

"We're just going to have to investigate," Ororo informed Kitty.

Kitty leaned back and smiled. Fair enough, she guessed. The woman walked to a field and spotted scorch marks all around the field.

"Well, that looks pretty nasty," Kitty murmured underneath her breath. "Do you think there's been some sort of fight or something?"

"Yeah, if it was Jean….do you think someone would have kidnapped her?" Rogue asked.

Ororo frowned and kept her eyes locked onto the ground. The mutant continued to study the ground beneath her for a moment and took in a fairly deep breath, before turning back to her fellow team mates.

"If someone tried to capture Jean, they couldn't have done so all that easily," Ororo remarked.

Kitty waved her hands frantically in the air. The scorch marks on the ground proved Ororo's theory did have some degree of validity.

"Easy?" Kitty asked. "You call…what's happened her to be that easy?"

"Well, not in a sense, it's not easy," Ororo confirmed. A rush of coldness spread through Ororo's body.

Ororo tried to keep it together. Her emotions drastically could affect the environment around her if the woman failed to reign herself in.

"Oh, no," Kitty groaned.

Rogue stood up straight and would have to agree with Kitty's sentiments. Oh no proved to be right, as the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants showed up. Quicksilver, Avalanche, Toad, Blob, and Pyro. All of them moved towards them.

"Look, we're kind of in the middle of something….." Kitty said.

"Hey, relax, we come in piece!" Toad said.

"I'll handle this," Pietro said. "Look, we don't want to fight the X-Men."

"Yeah, because we so totally trounce you all of the time," Kitty fired back.

Pietro stood in front of his group. He passed as the level headed one in the Brotherhood and if he didn't calm things down sooner or later, everything would get very messy.

"We don't have time to wave our dicks around and show who the better team is," Pietro said. "Wanda, she's gone…"

"Well, maybe she's sick and tired of hanging around losers like you," Rogue sniped back.

"Hey, you used to be a part of us before you betrayed us for the X-Men," Avalanche fired back.

"Yeah, I know, don't remind me, it was awful," Rogue grumbled in response.

"And this is serious!" Pietro exclaimed. "My sister, you remember her, the one who had powers who could contort reality."

All of them remembered Wanda quite well. The battles between the X-Men and the Brotherhood might have been a bit more one sided without Wanda involved. Without her, the X-Men knocked the Brotherhood around. With Wanda, a differently story showcased itself.

"She's gone, when is the last time you've seen her?" Ororo asked.

Pietro found himself glad to be talking to the level headed X-Man woman, and not the two hormonal teens.

He opened his mouth to explain something, when suddenly, the mountain next to them split open and a shower of jagged rocks flew through the air to wipe them out.

The X-Men and the Brotherhood all flew backwards from the same concussive force and landed on the ground with a set of sickening thuds.

Kitty struggled to look up and looked to see a brunette girl dressed in a tight red top, and tighter red and black pants, with a cape billowing and a head piece on. A far off look flashed through her eyes.

"Hey, guys, I think we found Wanda," Kitty groaned.

"Really, what was your first clue?" Rogue asked.

The girl's face snapped into a trance of some sort. She stared them down with fire burning from her eyes.

"Capture them all!" Wanda yelled.

The Scarlet Witch brought another hex bolt down and forced the X-Men and the Brotherhood to scatter their forces.

* * *

Felicity viewed Alia with awe as she once again hit big on one of the slot machines. The brainy blonde shook her head.

"Okay, you seem to have magical….hands," Felicity said.

Kara leaned towards Felicity and offered the girl another drink. She took it.

"You have no idea, don't you?" Kara asked her.

"No, I don't…she does have a nice ass too….oh, god I said that, didn't I?" Felicity asked. "I mean, I'm not lesbian….but it's hard not to notice. Okay, I'm a little bi-curious."

"Well, maybe if you play your cards right, Alia might indulge your curiosity," Kara said. She smiled and placed her hands on Felicity. "You know, her real super power is turning all girls over to her side, if you catch her drift."

Felicity experienced a slight, okay more than a slight, buzz. The girl's mind went wild of what Alia could do to her if the sexy Amazon princess put her mind to it.

Alia's hands placed themselves on Felicity's shoulders, prompting the brainy blonde to jump halfway into the air with a surprised squeak.

"Want to give it a go?" Alia asked.

"Me," Felicity breathed.

"I'm sure you can win on the machine at least once," Alia said. "All of the other girls had a go."

"I'd love to have a go with you," Felicity said.

She rose herself to her feet and wobbled a little bit. Her mother gave her advice on how to pace her drinks, but Felicity really didn't heed that tonight.

Alia caught her in her strong arms. Felicity leaned against the bosom of the princess and inhaled her scent, it enticed the brainy blonde.

"Don't worry, I got you," Alia said, holding the girl up.

The next movement Alia made steered Felicity to the machine. Alia pressed her breasts into the Felicity's back and grabbed her arms.

"It's all about timing and manipulating the machine," Alia breathed. "You don't want to be manipulated, do you?"

Alia's breasts pressed up against Felicity's back and her crotch pressed up against the blonde's ass. If this wasn't manipulation, she didn't know what is.

"Um, I don't….." Felicity breathed.

"Relax, honey, no need to get so tense," Alia said. She smiled and rested her chin on Felicity's shoulder and hands on the hips of the blonde.

"Not tense, just….well yeah," Felicity said.

Alia guided her hands. Felicity really appreciated how hands on Alia took this instruction and hoped her hands would be on all of her body later.

How much did she drink anyway tonight? Felicity lost count and the girl hoped the hangover she felt in the morning would be worth it.

"Put your hand on the level and pull, don't let doubt enter your mind for a second," Alia said.

Alia's hot breath entered Felicity's ear and she nearly lost it. The girl's thighs rubbed together in an attempt to stave off the arousal.

Felicity held her breath and pulled the lever. The machine clicked to life and sure enough, the tell-tale signs of winning came.

"I did it," Felicity breathed.

The woman did a jig and almost fell over in the process of doing so. Alia held her up and smiled.

"Of course you did, I'm proud of your, babe," Alia said with a smile and she briefly nibbled Felicity's ear.

'_Trouble at ten a clock,' _Kara thought.

Sure enough, a very smartly dressed man marched towards them, with two bald gentlemen who looked like the biker type.

Zatanna murmured something underneath her breath and a purple wave of magic shot discreetly underneath the table and ensnared the two men and his biker bodyguards.

"Are you the Evans party?" the smartly dressed man asked. He resembled someone who sounded punch drunk now more than anything else.

"Yes, we are," Alia said.

"Well I'm not….Felicity said, but Alia placed her hand over the girl's mouth.

"Good, because you all have the Luxury Suite, providing you promise never to play another game in the casino," the man said, dropping the key into Alia's hand.

"Well, I suppose it's more than fair," Alia answered.

Karen nearly bust a gut laughing, especially when the two bikers stumbled into each other's embrace and locked hands with each other, skipping back into the back room.

"That's not because I'm drunk, is it?" Felicity asked. "That's actually….happening, isn't it?"

"Yes," Karen said. She smiled. "Alia, do you think I can have a word with you?"

"When everyone gets settled in, you can have even more," Alia said with a smile.

Alia thought this particular Vegas trip already panned out better and she hadn't even been to the convention. How many people would she meet there?

* * *

The lights flickered on in Wanda's mind, but no one appeared to be home. Ororo fell last, obviously the best chance they had.

"We really could use Jean right now," Kitty said.

"Are you trying to bugger reality beyond all repair?" Pyro asked. "A fight between those two would fuck everything up, and I mean, it would really fuck everything up!"

Kitty tried to protest those words, but her mouth shut. Did Pyro have a point?

"Time to take you all and bring you back to my new masters!" Wanda yelled.

An energy shield appeared around the X-Men and rebounded Wanda's magic back down.

Illyana flashed in front of them. She wore tight set of black robes billowing behind her and wielded a sword.

"Oh, that's so hot," Pietro said.

"She has a girlfriend," Kitty said.

"Even better!" Pietro cheered.

Kitty sighed, and wanted to bang her head into the ground repeatedly. The brunette swore she told Illyana to hang back at the Institute. She groaned, the mutant realized the same selective listening syndrome Kitty acquired when she first joined the X-Men passed on.

Illyana tried to slam her sword down into Wanda. Wanda reflected the attack.

Two bolts of magical energy cracked into each other.

"I know you're possessed, believe me, I've been there," Illyana said.

A white hot bolt fired into Wanda's stomach. The chaotic magical user doubled over. A case of vertigo assaulted the girl. The girl nearly vomited, but held back.

"The HIVE will be glad to have you as well!" Wanda yelled.

Illyana tried to pick up the source of the possession. Before she began to look, Wanda pelted her with a hex bolt and knocked Illyana back.

The demonic sorceress slammed into the water tower. She bust through the tower and fell down onto the ground.

A dripping wet and extremely pissed off Illyana got to her feet. She threw everything she had at Wanda, shredding her clothes and a bit of her skin in the process.

A vortex opened up and both girls slammed magical bolts of energy at each other. The bolts cracked against each other. The influx of magical energy ripped the clothes of Wanda, shredding them to the bare fabric and did the same to Illyana.

The backlash blew both of them back. Wanda landed on one side of the field, creating a huge creature. Illyana opened a portal before she slammed onto the ground.

Wanda looked up, scratched up and practically naked. Her nudity barely registered with the girl. No, she howled in agony and misery, turning around to face the woman.

"I think you need a time out," Illyana said. The demoness practically breathed fire and waved her hand.

Several shackles shot out from a portal and yanked Wanda inside the portal. Illyana rushed through the portal to follow Wanda.

"Um, what just happened?" Kitty asked.

"I don't know," Ororo admitted.

Seconds passed and the portal spat Wanda back out. The X-Men and the Brotherhood rose to their feet, and stepped back. They noticed Wanda looked less possessed and more pissed off. Naturally, her pissed off look inspired no warm and fuzzy feelings of joy.

"Someone used me as their pawn!" Wanda yelled. She threw her arms into the air. "Those bastards will pay!"

Wanda collapsed and lapsed into a catatonic state. Illyana manifested behind her.

"That last part was for her own safety, so she doesn't cause more damage until she has a chance to calm down," Illyana said.

"I know my sister, and she's going to be more pissed you mind whammied her," Pietro said.

* * *

Karen sat down on the chair and Alia stood behind her. Felicity commandeered the bathroom next to them to take a nice hot shower. The other girls lingered around the luxury suite.

"Everything is in order," Karen stated. "You know for the convention."

"I'm sure you're really glad about that," Alia said. "And I'm sure will solve the other problem sooner rather than later."

"You're right," Karen said.

"I know I'm right," Alia confirmed. "You look really tense."

"Look it, I am it," Karen said.

"Well, as Felicity put it, I have magical hands," Alia said. "Maybe I should put those magical hands to use?"

Karen didn't have a chance to deny Alia, not she would deny the girl. The dark haired woman's magical hands rolled all over Karen's neck and shoulders.

The buxom blonde's tension faded away with Alia's able movements.

"Still tense," Alia murmured in Karen's ear. "Maybe you should get your clothes off, so we can do full coverage."

Karen rose to her feet and obeyed. She unbuttoned her blouse and exposed her ginormous breasts placed in a black bra.

"I have to get my lingerie custom made," Karen explained. She shimmied off her skirt and revealed her black thong, along with a garter belt and stockings. "Do, you want them on or off?"

"On, for now," Alia remarked. "Down on the bed."

Karen laid chest down on the bed, which actually elevated her a fair amount up. She realized that wasn't going to fly, so the Kryptonian floated herself above the bed.

Alia cupped the massage oils in her hand and slowly ran them over Karen's bare back. She rubbed around in circles, teasing the girl's body a little bit.

"Zee, could you help get her feet and legs?"

Zatanna stepped in and smiled.

"I'd be delighted," Zatanna said.

Karen discovered Alia wasn't the only girl with magical hands. Zatanna's hands ran over her feet and legs, practically worshipping the girl.

"Oh, your body feels so good," Zatanna said. "You really take good care of yourself."

Even with her super powers, Karen spent a lot of time working out. Her amazing body spoke for itself. The buxom blonde gasped when Zatanna slipped her thong down and started to massage her tight ass.

"Just to get more coverage," Zatanna breathed.

Karen swore Zatanna accidentally popped a finger in there. Her bra came off and revealed her breasts into the world.

The buxom Kryptonian felt Alia's hands reach closer, closer. Her hands dripped with the massage oil and slathered Karen's breasts.

"Time to take these."

* * *

A sore but satisfied Felicity blinked. Alia wrapped her up into a tight embrace and the blonde girl rested her face onto Alia's breasts.

"I can't believe it," Felicity moaned.

Zatanna and Karen curled up on the floor after eating each other into a catatonic state. Both girls overdid it, but damn if their sex wasn't so hot.

"I can't believe it, but I guess I can believe it, even though I couldn't believe it," Felicity battled.

Alia gently ran her fingers through Felicity's hair.

"What can't you believe?" Alia asked.

"I can't believe I jumped straight into bed with you," Felicity said.

"I told you I have magic hands," Alia said. "And it's not like I fucked you right there in the casino. We did spend about six hours talking."

"Well, yes, a real long term relationship," Felicity said. She snuggled against Alia's chest and drifted off to sleep with a smile of utter contentment.

She didn't regret it. After sex like what Alia gave her, who would?

**To Be Continued. **


	39. Stays in Vegas

**Chapter Thirty-Eight: Stays in Vegas.**

* * *

After last night's encounter, Alia left the suite for a nice little walk and maybe a nice little jog outside. The Amazon Princess slipped on a black tank top and a pair of form fitting tight black pants when she left her room.

Alia journeyed down the hallway, but stopped. Someone hung from the ceiling above her. The girl craned her head up and saw a mysterious figure who slowly crawled on the ceiling. Alia cleared her throat.

The figure nearly lost all form of balance. The blue and white clad figure flipped several times in mid-air and landed on her feet in front of Alia. Spider-Girl craned her neck and stood up straight after she caught a good look at Alia.

"Hello, Gwen, fancy seeing you here," Alia said.

"Yeah, I….well I didn't think anyone else would be up this early in the morning," Gwen admitted.

The two girls walked to another area. Their final destination ended up around the area of a fountain where the two girls plopped down next to each other.

"So, what brings you to Vegas?" Alia asked.

"Well, it's not a pleasure trip," Gwen answered. "After Norman Osborn, lost his mind, followed by his life, OsCorp's new management gave me a promotion, and she elected me to go on this business trip to Vegas, to represent the business convention."

"I'm sure someone as smart as you relishes the chance you're given," Alia replied.

Gwen's lips curled into a momentary smile, even if no one could see it underneath the mask.

"Oh, believe me, you have no idea," Gwen agreed. "But, that's not the only reason why I'm here….actually me being in Vegas for OsCorp business helps me with another problem."

Gwen's body turned a bit rigid and Alia zeroed in on the tension straight away. Calmly, Alia placed a pair of hands on Gwen's shoulders and leaned in towards her.

"What bit of business brings you to Vegas?" Alia asked Gwen.

Gwen took a moment to collect her thoughts. The brilliant heroine launched into her explanation.

"A truck containing some of the old OZ Formula, the same formula who turned Norman Osborn into the monster he was, you know what I'm talking about?" Gwen asked.

Alia waved her hand and nodded.

"And the same formula which gave me these powers," Gwen said. She cleared her throat and persisted on, "Anyway, this formula was on the back of a truck, about ready to be disposed of and believe me, it needed to be disposed of. But, the truck lost course and simply disappeared….three weeks ago."

"Three weeks ago?" Alia confirmed.

"I hoped that the serum wouldn't turn up on the black market," Gwen added. Alia gripped her hand and Gwen pressed on. "But, it didn't….Barbara has been helping me follow the truck and we've been chasing it around in circles. Kind of like a dog chasing it's tail."

Alia continued to look forward, her eyes glaring at the window.

"We, finally traced the truck to around the Vegas area, which is a good thing, because I'm here anyway," Gwen said. "Barbara also traced a potential buyer, who could be in the casino."

Alia mulled over this information in her mind. The warrior princess's face contorted in intense concentration and she looked back at Gwen.

"Who do you think could be behind this?" Alia asked.

"Oh, there's a few options, I think," Gwen said. "Any number of the alphabet soup criminal organizations, AIM, HYDRA….okay those are the only two I can think of, but both of them are dangerous."

Gwen let out a ragged breath and slumped forward. Alia wrapped her arm around her.

"I feel responsible for this formula being out there," Gwen said. "I know how dangerous it is, I know what it can do. Everyone it's gave powers to, it's warped in some way."

"You seem fine," Alia said.

"I seem fine," Gwen agreed. "But, really, I'm the exception to the rule, aren't I?"

Alia couldn't say one way or another, but she didn't have the inside information on the OZ which Gwen did.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Alia asked.

"Thanks for the offer, but no," Gwen said. "I mean, you're on your vacation….well technically on business too like I am, but you're more on vacation than I am. You should enjoy it. I'll find it and stop it."

Alia gently tightened her grip around Gwen's shoulders and pulled the girl in closer towards her.

"I'll be here for you if you change your mind," Alia told Gwen.

Gwen smiled and appreciated this fact. Alia always looked to be on top of things and Gwen wondered how the girl did half of what she did.

"Break time's over, I better get going," Gwen said.

"Go get them, tigress," Alia said.

Gwen turned and frowned, before telling Alia firmly, "Someone might be upset that you're using their catch phrase."

Alia laughed and slapped Gwen on the ass when she turned around. Gwen shivered, but recovered and moved off into the night.

'_Oh, if I didn't have work to do, I'd jump you right there,' _Gwen thought. _'I wonder if I'm insane not to.'_

* * *

Illyana propped up Wanda when the X-Men escorted the girl back to the Xavier Institute. Wanda's legs slid underneath her. Both women conjured some clothes for the trip, because it might attract too much attention if two naked women made the trip.

"Guess, I should thank you," Wanda said.

"I just wish your brother wouldn't have ran off to go after the HIVE," Ororo said. "I warned him how ill-advised that one was."

"The Brotherhood…will do what they do," Wanda answered. "Without my father, Mystique, and myself, it's a wonder how they remember to pay the electric bill or are able to go to the grocery store without incident."

"Well, there's always takeout," Kitty said.

"Yes, there is," Wanda agreed, with a smile on her face. "And I'm sure you thought I was dead after Asteroid M."

"Well, we never found your body," Kitty answered. "We never found Jean's body either or Magneto's so….."

"Xavier and Summers are dead, I offer my condolences," Wanda said.

Wanda's body felt really stiff. The girl's fragmented memories moved around the back of her mind.

"I can't really remember anything," Wanda grumbled. "Everything's just a blur, I can't figure out…"

Wanda slumped down onto the couch and started to breath in and out. Everything from the asteroid until the moment she woke up registered in her mind as one extremely gigantic blur.

"Those memories, I know how it feels," Illyana said. She gently grabbed Wanda's hand and forced the brunette to look at her. "It's hard to piece them together, isn't it?"

"In a sense," Wanda agreed.

"But, you've got to pull things together, don't you?" Illyana asked Wanda.

Wanda nodded in confirmation. Realization dawned upon the powerful chaos magic user the girl before her may have at least a few personal demons. Wanda's demons threatened to bubble through the surface.

"You just need someone to help them pull them together."

"And perhaps I can be of some assistance."

The mutants in the living room all spun around and went face to face with one Emma Frost, better known as the White Queen. Ororo frowned and leaned towards the woman.

"How long have you been here?" Ororo asked.

"Long enough," Emma said. "I actually am here on the behalf of another, as word of Wanda's plight reached her, and she reached out to me. I think I can help Wanda, if she would allow me to enter her mind."

Wanda opened her mouth and closed it. The girl's body language grew extremely rigid and her breathing even more so.

Emma placed a hand on her shoulder, gently. The sophisticated woman leaned towards Wanda and whispered into the younger girl's ear.

"Don't worry, I won't look at anything irrevalant to our situation."

Wanda didn't know whether or not to feel relieved or feel a bit on edge. Anyone poking around her mind caused Wanda's nerves to be on fire.

"If you feel I've done you wrong, than tell me, and I'll pull out," Emma said. "Don't worry, I'll be gentle."

Wanda's mind started to go a million miles a minute and the brunette nodded.

"Do it," Wanda said.

Emma's subtle caress worked its way into Wanda's memories. The girl wouldn't have even known Emma entered her mind unless Emma entered her mind.

'_So how is she?' _Alia asked Illyana.

Illyana knew her mistress half paid attention to this situation. The demoness smiled.

'_Emma is reading her mind right now,' _Illyana thought. _'And Katya is looking at Emma like she wants to set her on fire with her mind. Good thing she doesn't have that particular power.'_

'_Good thing,' _Alia said. _'I'd like to get to know all of your friends.'_

'_I'm sure you would Mistress,' _Illyana said with a cheeky little grin. _'I'll keep you updated when I can.'_

Emma's burrow contorted. Wanda's memories flashed all at once.

"Of course, the Queen Bee," Emma grumbled.

"You mean the ruler of Bialya?" Ororo asked.

"The very same," Emma agreed.

"So, do you two have a history or something?" Kitty asked.

Emma's eyes locked onto Kitty. The feisty girl took a step back and hands went to her hips. Kitty tried to know no fear in the face of the big-bad White Queen.

"Yes, or something," Emma agreed.

* * *

"I can't believe it, you keep beating me!" Mary yelled.

Cassie chuckled when she swept Mary in another Monopoly game.

"I really thought the dark blue properties would be the best, because they cost the most money for rent, and I put a hotel on them and everything," Mary said.

"Actually, you're wrong about that," Cassie said. "I mean, the Reds have the highest statistical value of being landed on and the oranges next to them so….."

Mary frowned. The Wisdom of Solomon didn't translate well into board games.

"So, do you want to play again?" Cassie asked.

"Why don't we stick to Battleship?" Mary asked.

"Why, so I can beat you at that game too?" Cassie asked.

Cassie bounced up and down on the couch in excitement. Mary watched the progress of the eager teen girl.

"You just beat me in a game, no need to get so excitement," Mary said.

"Don't tell me you let me win," Cassie said.

"I didn't," Mary said. "You honestly….well you played smarter….even though I thought that games with dice would be games of chance. You know, it's random where the dice falls."

Cassie shrugged, she didn't really think about that.

"Oh and for your information, I'm excited about the fact I'll get to train with Alia really soon," Cassie said. The girl's bouncing became even more prominent. "In about thirty-seven days, thirteen hours, twenty-nine minutes, and twelve seconds, because that's when my birthday is."

"Even less now," Mary agreed.

"Oh, I hope I do good," Cassie said.

"Cassie, you're going to do great," Mary answered.

Someone knocked on the door. Mary got up to her feet to answer it.

"Thea!" Cassie yelled, bouncing to her feet and rushing the other girl.

"Hey, Cassie it's good to….aggh," Thea said, when Cassie practically almost drove her down to the ground with a hug. "It's really good to see you."

"Sorry, I just don't know my own strength sometimes," Cassie said.

Mary could see Thea looked around.

"Cassie, why don't you go and wash up for dinner?" Mary asked.

Cassie checked the time. Boy, those Monopoly games really ate up half of the day.

"So, what are you doing here, Thea?" Mary asked, when Cassie walked out of an earshot.

"I was in the neighborhood and thought I might stop by," Thea said. "That same van circled the block about three times….does that look kind of suspicious?"

Mary craned her neck and the van stopped. Men dressed in battle armor and wielding weapons marched towards the house.

"Thea, get inside, and get Cassie out the backdoor," Mary muttered urgently. "Keep running, until you reach the shed, there's a gateway to portal her out to the safe house."

"Right," Thea said.

Thea made her way in to do what Mary suggested.

"SHAZAM!" Mary yelled.

Captain Marvel appeared in all of her glory. She made her way to the goons in an attempt to take them down.

Three of the goons fell to the ground from Mary's attacks. A fourth one tried to grab her, but Mary lifted the goon into the ground. She flipped him onto the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of him, but not enough force to seriously injure him.

A brutal fist clocked Mary in the back of the head. Mary fell down onto the ground, blood spitting from her mouth.

A monster of a man with ragged skin, glowing green eyes, sharp teeth, and fangs rushed towards Mary. Mary dodged the mindless brute's fist. The fist slammed into the ground. Mary situated herself and the empowered heroine knocked the man down to the ground.

She heard something crash through the doors of the Sandsmark residence. Mary tried to go after it, until to get nabbed with an energy net.

A net wrapped around her and forced her to the ground. The goons stalked Mary, preparing to set her up for the kill.

Mary tore through the net causing the pieces of the net to fly in every direction. Her act of strength forced them to take a step back, in time to knock them back.

With her path clear and free, Mary followed the monsters into the house. She really hoped Cassie and Thea got out of there.

Mary dodged a fist of another one of the brutes. The brute smashed apart a vase on the table and another dodged punch put a hole through the wall!

"STOP BREAKING THINGS!" Mary yelled. She punted the creature through the hole through the door.

In the backyard, Cassie backed off in fear, when two of these hideous monsters went after her. Thea loaded up and started to fire arrows at them creatures.

The arrows barely nicked the skin. The creatures rumbled forward and snagged Thea, lifting her up off of the ground.

"Let go of me, you ugly fuck!" Thea yelled. She started kicking him in the face, but only bruised her foot.

Cassie lifted up a rock off of the ground and hurled it at the head of the creature. The creature staggered back and dropped to the ground.

The second creature tried to charge Cassie and grab the demi-goddess around the throat. Cassie struggled against the monster's grip.

Mary came down from the heavens with a huge elbow to the top of the head of the creature, putting it into the ground.

"Portal, now…please," Mary said, remembering her manners at the last second.

"Yes, m'am," Cassie said, helping Thea up and dragging her through the portal.

"And here I thought I'm supposed to be saving you," Thea grumbled.

"Well, guess plans have changed," Cassie said. She opened up the shed and pressed her hands through the rune stone. "Lock the shed door behind you, we don't want anyone to follow us."

"Yeah, that would pretty much invalidate the term, safe house," Thea agreed.

Cassie's mother drilled the location of this place in her head when Alia and Diana put it in. Cassie knew what to do better than she knew her own phone number and what to do in case of a fire. And if a stranger offered her a ride, she should kick them in the balls, or something. At least, according to Kara, but Cassie already knew what to do there.

"Hope, Mary will be okay," Cassie murmured.

"I'm sure she's fine," Thea said.

The two of them flashed out of the shed, seconds before a creature entered.

Mary yanked the creature back and drove it head first into the ground. The creature collapsed and withered.

'_Alia, you're not going to believe this,' _Mary thought.

* * *

Felicity stirred awake after the night before and suddenly felt the tell-tale signs of a hangover fill her. The blonde experienced a hangover before and none of the signs proved to be all pleasant. Felicity rose up from the bed.

Karen and Zatanna left to do whatever. Felicity looked at the clock and realized it was almost ten in the morning.

The soreness between her legs reminded Felicity last night was not a really amazing wet dream, what happened to her was very real.

Someone typed away in the next room. Felicity pulled on a pair of panties and a bra, before pulling out a bathrobe. She walked into the room, and frowned, placing her glasses on.

Felicity looked at Alia, who hunched intently over the computer.

"You look just like me when you're trying to get into a place that I shouldn't," Felicity commented.

"Good morning, Felicity," Alia said. She offered the girl a cup of coffee and she took it.

"Thanks, I need that," Felicity agreed. She took a long drink of the coffee and the beverage really hit the spot. "So, what are you doing this morning?"

"I'm helping a friend search for something," Alia said. "I don't know if you heard about the OsCorp shipment truck which fell off the map."

"Officially, or unofficially?" Felicity asked. Alia raised an eyebrow. "It really hasn't been in the news, but you hear things through the grapevine."

"I'm sure," Alia confirmed. "But, I haven't been able to find anything."

"Why don't you take five and let me take a crack at it?" Felicity asked.

Alia thought a fresh set of eyes, even a set slightly hung over, would do them so good. Felicity plopped down on the chair in front of the computer and got to work.

"You might want to get a slightly more advanced and up to date system," Felicity said. "Granted, good for what it is, but….you can get much better."

"Well, I'll listen to any recommendations you have," Alia said.

Alia never really meant to use this particular laptop to hack into the GPS of a truck.

"And I found it," Felicity said.

"Really, already?" Alia asked.

"It's heading North, away from Vegas," Felicity said. "Pretty close actually, if you found it about two hours ago, you'd be on top of it."

"Thanks, Felicity," Alia said. "You're brilliant."

Alia leaned towards Felicity and kissed her on the lips. Felicity accepted the kiss with a gleeful expression dancing in her eyes.

"It's nice to be appreciated," Felicity muttered.

Alia disappeared even when the taste of her lips still lingered on Felicity. Felicity sighed and returned to her cup of coffee.

"Could use a cold shower," she muttered underneath her breath.

* * *

Spider-Girl propelled hard into a nearby wall. She caught sight of the truck and followed it closely behind.

The web slinging heroine rolled over, feeling a sting in her body. The huge goon of a super solider rushed towards her.

Suddenly, out of the blue, Alia appeared in front of the hulking brute. The brute raised its hands and prepared to smash Alia. Alia returned fire with a rapid fire series of jabs, doubling over the hulking brute.

Said brute launched off of the ground and plowed into the ground. Alia turned her attention towards Gwen, helping the girl to her feet.

"Thanks," Gwen muttered. "Really do need all of the help I can get right now."

'_So, Queen Bee is using the males in her employ and experimenting on them,' _Alia thought.

'_Yes, a bunch of them tried to nab Cassie,' _Mary said.

'_The girl's pretty popular, but for all of the wrong reasons,' _Kara said.

'_Wait, are all of you talking in my head?' _Felicity asked.

'_Well, Felicity jumping on the bond escalated quickly,' _Kara said. _'You do work rather fast….don't panic, I'll explain everything to you.'_

Kara did her job as Alia's Alpha. Alia turned her attention back to Gwen.

"So, you caught sight of the truck too, didn't you?" Alia asked.

"Yeah, I did, but I think I lost it," Gwen said. A stabbing pain escalated through Gwen's knee. "Don't worry, I heal easily."

"Are you sure?" Alia asked her.

"Positive, I….."

Gwen's spider sense went off and Alia's head whipped up in time. A rather tall woman dressed in battle garb crouched on top of the sign and jumped down.

The woman's hand twisted towards Alia and she made the international sign of bringing it.

Alia charged the woman. The woman dodged the attack and tried to fire a series of rapid fire attacks at Alia. Alia blocked the attacks.

The mystery warrior skidded back on the ground. Alia fired a brutal snap kick at the chest of her enemy and forced her to go further back.

The two warriors circled each other and began to throw huge bomb like punches at each other. Their punches collided together. Alia cut through the woman's attack and smashed her hard against the ground.

The warrior princess chased her mysterious attack over to a support bridge. Cars drove by, barely paying attention to the two women fighting. Alia realized something in the air distracted them.

Alia jumped to the top of the bridge. The Amazon princess fired a series of rapid fire jabs at the enemy.

The enemy jabbed Alia in the stomach and doubled over her. The mystery warrior brought Alia down onto the ground with an attack and hurled her off of the bridge.

At the last second, Gwen swung down and caught a falling Alia before she could hit the water in the hard way.

"Figured, I'd return the favor from earlier," Gwen said.

"Thanks," Alia said.

Spider-Girl made sure her fellow heroine regained her footing. Alia felt dizzied, but recovered in an instant.

The mysterious woman disappeared into the shadows as quickly as she turned up.

"So, you got the point of that, don't you?" Spider-Girl asked.

"It was to get the truck further away from us," Alia said. "This HIVE is playing a dangerous game, but what is their end motive?"

Alia shook her head for a moment. Her body felt the impact of the blows the mysterious warrior gave her.

"Are you okay?" Gwen asked.

"You know what the strangest part of this is," Alia said. "Her attack patterns looked very familiar."

Diana started paying really close attention during the fight and not because her sister entered a rather tight situation. Granted, Diana's concern bubbled over because of her sister's ability to get herself into trouble.

'_Are you saying she's an Amazon?' _Diana asked.

'_Or trained by one,' _Alia said. _'She knew exactly how to fight me, and if she really wanted to, she could do some serious damage.'_

The attack happened so fast. The truck vanished, but Alia returned to the bond link.

'_Felicity, did Kara explain everything to you?' _Alia asked.

'_Yeah, yeah she did, a little head's up would have been nice before I heard voices in my head, though,' _Felicity said, folding her arms.

'_Sorry,' _Alia said.

'_Truck got away from you, well no problem, I'll find it,' _Felicity said.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	40. Until It Ends Up on Social Media

**Chapter Thirty-Nine: Until It Ends Up on Social Media.**

* * *

Gwen chewed on her tongue. She developed certain bad habits when nervous and tried to reign them in when able. Old bad habits died extremely hard, and Gwen devolved back into them the moment her nerves took a turn for the worse.

"Sorry," Gwen said.

Alia placed a hand on top of Gwen's hand and intertwined their fingers. A firm squeeze of Alia's hand against Gwen's turned the prodigal girl's interest back to the specimen at hand.

"Nerves visit the best of us," Alia said. "Try not to allow it to get the better of you."

Gwen nodded and returned her attention to the DNA sample underneath the microphone. The DNA sample told Gwen a lot. Gwen and Alia acquired the sample from the downed HIVE drone. Not exactly difficult to acquire the sample, given the drone bled buckets.

"Most certainly, this sample is very different. The HIVE altered their drone in some way. But, they didn't build him in an efficient way."

Alia raised her eyebrow, and Gwen pressed on.

"They gave him the sample, but obviously this HIVE intended to learn more from an autopsy than they could from the action person being alive. Therefore, they drugged them up, and saw what happened. The chemical boosted their strength and adrenaline, and greatly stripped away their intelligence."

Gwen spoke without catching her breath. The spider-themed heroine took a moment to recover before pressing on.

"I know OZ better than I should, given all of the issues it's caused me. This is not OZ, I don't know what it is."

"It's Venom."

The soft voice prompted Gwen to jump up to her feet. Alia grabbed Gwen's hand and forced her back onto the chair.

"It's alright, they're here to help," Alia said.

"How can you be sure?" Gwen asked.

"I'm sure," Alia said.

Nyssa and Sara stepped from the shadows. Both girls dressed in the traditional attire of the League of Assassins, and both assassins walked into the room with a purpose.

"We were in the neighborhood, and thought we might drop by," Nyssa said.

"Guess, you need the help," Sara said.

Gwen took a moment to consider the two girls. Alia trusted them, and Gwen trusted Alia.

"I guess the two of us do need a little help, and the League…..well, you're not exactly the most conventional of help, aren't you?"

"We do what we can," Sara said.

"We've dealt with the HIVE in the past," Nyssa said. She took a slight step from the shadows and smiled. Gwen's eyes locked on Nyssa's cleavage.

Gwen wondered how the cleavage worked as a practical battle advantage. Suddenly, Gwen realized, most of Nyssa's opponents turned out to be men. Everything turned out to be more clearly than ever before to Gwen.

"You entered here, without trigging my spider sense."

"Spider sense?" Sara asked. The assassin's lips curled into a smile.

Gwen threw her hands up. The entire spider sense name sounded rather stupid to an outside observer, granted, but it worked for her.

"You know, the sense where if anyone sneaks up on me, I'll know straight away what they're up to, and they'll warn me if anything bad or something happens."

"Well, maybe it's because we had no intention of harming you," Nyssa said.

Alia laughed at Nyssa's response. The words mattered little, the delivery made Alia laugh. Gwen's hands touched underneath her chin and she sighed.

"She's got you there," Alia said.

Gwen conceded Alia got her there.

'_She is so cute when she pouts,' _Kara said.

'_There's a lot of girls who are so cute when they pout,' _Fleur said.

'_Donna for example,' _Diana said.

Donna huffed in response, folding her arms, sticking out her lip, and pouting. Alia chuckled and returned back to the conversation at hand with her fellow warriors.

"Then, can you tell me what….."

"It's Venom," Nyssa said. "A modified form of Venom, a rather unrefined form of Venom, but Venom never the less."

"Venom?" Gwen asked. "Wasn't Venom developed in South America?"

"Very good, you've done your homework," Nyssa said.

"Smart, and beautiful, but my sister does have certain tastes," Sara said. "And I can't help, but approve of those tastes."

Sara leaned into Gwen and Gwen's face flushed a little bit. The two blondes lingered next to each other.

Alia cleared her throat and the two straightened up. The warrior princess enjoyed a hot show between two blondes as much as the next girl, but they needed to remain focused. Sara and Gwen stepped back from each other, and Gwen returned to the microphone. Alia focused her undivided attention to Nyssa.

"You're not here on a social call?"

"No, and not a booty call either," Sara said.

Nyssa frowned at her girlfriend, and Sara shrugged in response. The Daughter of the Demon's full attention diverted to the Amazon Princess.

"No, we're here on League of Assassins business."

"Which means, you're here to kill someone," Gwen said.

"Generally what the League of Assassins do," Nyssa said.

Sara decided to cut in with the explanation. If she left the explanation to Nyssa, they wasted a bit of valuable time.

"We heard rumors HIVE is back in town. And the proof is in front of you, isn't it?"

Alia conceded the girl's point. The proof of the HIVE's return flashed in her face.

"The HIVE showed themselves to be a problem to the League and our plans for quite some time," Sara said. "And it's a personal matter for Nyssa's father."

Nyssa nodded and clenched her fist. Alia placed her hand on Nyssa's shoulders. The warrior woman relaxed underneath the confirmed magical hands of the warrior princess.

"How personal?" Gwen asked.

"Very," Nyssa said.

"The leader of the HIVE is Damien Darhk, who has quite the history with Nyssa's father."

"Understating much, beloved," Nyssa said. "My father showed Darhk mercy. He betrayed him and ever since the two have butted heads. The reality may prove to be different, but this the story my father tells."

"There's more, isn't there?" Alia asked.

"Much more," Nyssa said. "He's aligned with Queen Bee, the Ruler of Bialya and acquired Diplomatic immunity."

"She's like Victor Von Doom, only easier on the eyes," Sara said. "And far more dangerous as well."

The female of the species tended to be more dangerous, in many cases, not all.

"Queen Bee, she strikes me as the type who isn't going to go for an equal partnership for long," Gwen said.

"Very astute," Nyssa said.

Gwen tried not to smile at the high praise given from the daughter of the most dangerous man on Earth. Her head struggled to fit through the door to begin with.

"Queen Bee uses the HIVE to bolster her empire," Sara said. "She's acquired a group of loyal female guards, many of them rather willing, some of them seduced by her."

Alia raised an eyebrow.

"Do you think you could clarify what you mean?"

"She gives off low-level pheromones which ensnare many men, and a few women," Sara said.

Alia filed the information underneath the extremely interesting file.

"Her and Darhk also funded an organization called AIM," Nyssa said.

Gwen's groan cut into the conversation. The brainy girl stuck her hands onto her head and slumped down onto the desk. A second groan followed the first groan and the girl's sighing grew even more prominent.

"Let me guess," Nyssa said. "You've had dealings with AIM in the past."

"Yes," Gwen said. "Yes, I have."

Gwen realized an amusing fact inside of her misery. Her lip curled before groaning gave way to a loud fit of giggles.

Sara and Alia frowned at Gwen. Gwen waved them off and after a moment, she regained her composure.

"Sorry, it's really funny," Gwen said. "And poetic in a way. The evil bee-keepers are working for the HIVE."

Gwen's run ins with the AIM frustrated her. The demented bee-keepers tried to get Gwen to work for them both as Spider-Girl and both as Gwen Stacy. Neither side of the path took too well at the attempts of the HIVE.

"Their scientists now work for HIVE," Nyssa said.

"Is their big-headed leader included in the deal?" Gwen asked.

"Yes," Nyssa agreed. "Begrudgingly, but he works for HIVE."

"Guess all of us warriors have to stick together, and smite the mighty forces of the bees," Gwen said. "Bees, my god."

Alia's lips curled into a frown.

"Speaking of warriors, I ran into someone interesting," Sara said.

"Did the someone interesting happen to be someone with an Amazon fighting style similar to my own?" Alia said.

Sara nudged Gwen away so she could take Alia's hand. Gwen folded her arms and pouted.

'_Again, adorable when she pouts,' _Kara said. _'But, we could say a lot of girls are adorable when they pout.'_

"Well no one's quite like you," Sara said. "But, in a sense, she had some of the similar fighting style down."

"I don't really have any idea who she might be," Alia said.

'_Rogue Amazons exist in the world,' _Diana said.

Donna stopped short of falling out of her seat. This bit of information coming through the bond link jarred the middle child of the royal family a fair amount.

'_First I've heard of it,' _Donna said.

'_First, I've heard of it too,' _Alia said.

Diana sighed and hoped she could explain this. The oldest of the three daughters accessed only some of the pieces.

'_Mother explained to me some Amazons decided to leave the island after a clash of ideals. She allowed them to leave, the island is a paradise and not a prison. And to not allow them to leave, would be as bad as proving them right. Some formed their own settlement, a couple popped up around the world. They…..'_

The oldest princess stopped to choose her words.

'_They have a less enlightened view of men. And this has caused some issues for the reputation of the Amazons at large.'_

Alia mulled the information over. Nyssa stood before her and the Daughter of the Demon hovered on the cusp of giving out forbidden information of some sort.

"What's on your mind, Nyssa?"

Nyssa stood up straight. Sara grabbed Nyssa's hand with her other hand. A deceptive show of strength brought Nyssa out of her musings.

"My father learned of our meeting," Nyssa said.

Alia frowned.

"I thought your father was….."

"When he first met, my father's status leaned closely to dead than alive," Nyssa said. "He returned and reestablished his control of the League. And he's extremely interested in the fact his daughter joined up with the Amazon Princess."

"And he's very worried," Sara said.

Nyssa caught sight of Sara's smile and frowned.

"Don't try and look too upset about it, beloved."

Alia held up a hand, and the two assassins directed their full attention to the warrior princess.

"Why would Ra's Al Ghul concern himself with me?" Alia asked.

"He's worked up you might be the Dragon who could succeed him in the League," Sara said. "You are the one with the power to defeat him."

"I have the power to defeat…"

"Well, you are pretty good," Gwen said.

"But, to defeat the most deadly man in the world?" Alia asked.

'_He's only a man, you can take him,' _Kara said.

'_Kara, please don't encourage her,' _Diana said.

"My father wouldn't be worried about his defeat, if you were a man," Nyssa said.

"Would he assume me to be weaker if I was born a man?" Alia asked. "I can assure you gender has very little to do with strength."

"No, my father would arrange a marriage between us, if we were opposite sexes," Nyssa said. "In his view of the world, a union between anyone other than man and woman is forbidden."

"One thing I will never get about the mainland," Alia said. "So, tell me about the Venom?"

The group sidetracked themselves from the conversation at hand, and Alia sensed they ran out of time.

"A long time ago, a scientist performed hideous experiments with a super-powered drug in a hellhole known as Santa Prisca," Nyssa said. "Darhk is rumored to have funded the Venom experiment as well."

"Bastard has his hands in many deals," Sara said.

"Stay strong, beloved."

Nyssa's hand on Sara's shoulder relaxed the warrior ever so slightly.

"Only one of the prisoners survived, and his strength before the drug allowed him to survive. His father bred him to serve the life prison sentence in the hell hole. The prisoner took over the hellhole with his new found gifts."

"So, he's still there?" Alia asked.

"Not certain, but from all indications, he's made hell home," Nyssa said.

"Ball's in the court of HIVE, we got to stop them before they make their next move," Alia said. "If they're going to make some strong soldiers with the HIVE, the OZ will make even more dangerous soldiers."

Gwen sighed.

"Don't I know all about how dangerous OZ can be."

"You did the world a service for putting down the Green Goblin," Nyssa said.

Gwen knew she did. The man underneath the mask redefined the term troubled soul. The OZ formula evolved an individual into what they had the potential to be.

* * *

The business conference occurred in the midst of all of the insanity and Alia attended, along with Karen.

The moment Alia arrived, she spotted Emma arriving. Judging by the state of Emma, her hair especially, the woman took a late fight.

"Hello, Alia," Emma said.

"You look like you've had a long night," Alia said.

"Look like it, feel like it," Emma said. "But, you look like you've been through the ringer, haven't you?"

"A little," Alia admitted.

Alia spent the next couple of moments bringing Emma up to speed on everything happening. Emma listened to Alia's words, and she frowned.

'_So, the HIVE situation is a far bit dire than I thought,' _Emma thought. _'Wanda rests at the Mansion, she won't be allowed out. I think her in state, you can agree her not being out is for the best.'_

'_I agree,' _Alia said. _'What about the Brotherhood.'_

'_The Brotherhood, they've decided to make utter nuisances out of themselves,' _Emma said. _'They want revenge. I have some of my people on them to make sure they don't do anything too stupid.'_

'_Sounds like a full time job,' _Betsy said.

'_It is a full time job, Miss Braddock, and it's a pleasure to speak to you again,' _Emma thought. _'But, them going up against a man who eluded the most dangerous man on the planet only ends badly.'_

Alia walked alongside Emma into the convention. Various faces, both familiar, and not so familiar appeared on the scene.

"Alia, how are you doing?"

Tess walked up and joined Alia. The woman dressed to kill in casual business attire. A purple blouse with only the top two buttons undone, a nice jacket, and a modest length skirt made up Tess's business assemble for today. The two women exchanged a hug, greeting each other like old friends. The hug lingered for a moment.

Alia thought for a wild moment Tess intended to kiss her as well, but the redhead pulled back. The tease ended with a smile on her face.

"So, how are you doing?" Alia asked.

"Oh, I'm here for LuthorCorp business," Tess said. "As the public face of the company, I'm the best representative."

"And you're here for another reason," Alia said.

Tess's voice dropped. The woman turned her head to the left and to the right before going back towards Alia.

"Yes, I'm here for another reason," Tess agreed. "The Agency heard of the HIVE threat and they want to make sure they don't try anything. And there's any number of threats who target a scientific convention like this."

"I see," Alia said.

"Not really a pleasure trip, is it?" Tess asked.

"Not for me," Alia said. "Granted, I had some fun and the fun dashed."

"No luck with the stolen shipment?" Tess asked.

"No luck," Alia confirmed. Her shoulders slumped.

Tess patted Alia on the shoulder. Alia perked up for a moment.

"The shipment's going to have to turn up somewhere," Tess said. "They don't grow legs and walk off, you know."

"Oh, I know," Alia said.

"I've got a few people who I need to check up in, catch you later."

Tess and Alia parted ways. The Amazon Princess turned around and saw a man with dark hair and a goatee make his way over towards Emma. The two of them chatted, and Emma looked rather put off by his attempts to hit her up.

'_Is he Tony Stark?' _Alia asked.

'_The only and only,' _Emma thought. _'Thankfully, the one and only. I can only imagine the world with more than one Tony Stark. The world doesn't have enough free space to contain his ego.'_

'_And it would for you?" Betsy asked. _

"_I don't like the implication I have an ego, Betsy,' _Emma said. _'But, yes, there needs to be about five more of me. The world would be a lot more glamorous place.'_

Tony struck out with Emma. Not to be deterred, the billionaire made his way over to Tess, but more of the same.

'_You know, he's going to turn his attention to you in a minute,' _Kara said.

'_Not my type,' _Alia said.

'_You mean because he's male, right?' _Fleur asked.

'_If I'm born male or female, my type always would be female, regardless,' _Alia said.

'_And you attract unwanted attention,' _Fleur said. _'Believe me, I feel your pain.'_

Tony's assistant steered him away from the women and the refreshments before he made a fool out of himself.

'_This went on much better than last time for him,' _Emma said.

'_What happened last time?' _Karen asked.

'_Well, Tony did his best impression of livestock, and got into being a sheep a bit too much,' _Emma thought.

'_Seriously, Emma?' _Rose asked.

'_Really, your imagination went there?' _Emma asked. _'Far from my intention, I assure you. Pepper passed it off as a bad batch of scotch. He should thank Pepper, he might wake up in a Mexican prison one day if it wasn't for her.'_

Alia blanched at the thought. Emma knew how to make a vivid picture.

"Alia, this is Sapphire Stagg, her father….runs a company in Gotham City," Karen said.

Alia turned her attention to a stunning blonde dressed in a form-fitting silver dress. The woman leaned forward to showcase a little cleavage.

"Alia Evans, I thought….." Sapphire said.

"I'd be older?" Alia asked.

"No, a bit taller," Sapphire said.

Alia laughed and smiled at the girl.

"So your father….."

"I've decided to shop around Stagg Industries to some investors, to see if they want to work on me for a little project," Sapphire said. "My father….he isn't in the best health, and his doctors insist he's stepped back."

Sapphire hated to admit her father's experiments resulted in his health taking a downswing for the very worst.

"And you're trying to prove you're worthy of getting control of the company?" Alia asked.

"An uphill battle with shareholders," Sapphire said. "They seem me as this spoiled rich brat who got responsible she didn't deserve dumped in her lap."

"And you're much more than a spoiled rich brat, aren't you?" Alia asked.

Sapphire smiled in response.

"I understand your pain," Emma said. "My father's…circle of friends, didn't take me seriously at first either."

"How did you get over them not taking you seriously?" Sapphire asked.

"I kicked them to the side and stepped above them," Emma said. "Now, they're begging me for a handout."

"This amuses you, doesn't it?" Betsy asked.

Emma gave her a "what do you think" kind of expression. Betsy lapsed into a smile. Karen returned for drinks for all of them.

"Here's to dismantling the good old boys network, and starting a bright and glorious new world," Karen said.

The group of five laughed. They took the drinks, feeling really good. Alia thought about the merits of doing business with Sapphire.

Alia jumped at the opportunity to bring even more women into her web in the not so distant future. She licked her lips at the thought of all of the beauties she planned to seduce and make hers.

"Bruce Wayne," Emma said. "Some vapid bint's hitting him up. Well, she's the type who deserves to be thrown away the next day like a used Kleenex."

"Do you have a problem with every man?" Betsy asked.

"No, only most," Emma said. "The rich, vapid playboy types who do nothing of value with their life, I have a huge problem with."

Emma knew what she liked, and no one dared to argue with her.

Alia detached herself from the combination in time to feel a stabbing sensation grip the back of her head.

"Is there a problem?" Emma asked.

Emma and Betsy heard the same Phoenix Song song Alia heard. Both girls remained cool, not to upset Sapphire, or ask to any odd questions until Alia figured her into the group.

"Alia, a word, please?" Karen asked.

Alia zeroed in on the concerned look on Karen's face. The two girls walked over.

"I swore I heard Jaime calling out for help."

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	41. All Becoming Clear Now

_Vote for the story of the week for last week on my profile._

**Chapter Forty: Becoming Clear Now.**

* * *

Diana crouched down in the shadows and took a full inventory of her surroundings. The Amazon Princess hunted for the rogue Amazon Alia and the League encountered. A sharp pain threatened to manifest in Diana's stomach. The Amazon hated to admit one truth.

Some of her sisters arrived to the island with a multitude of issues. The past lives they lived left the Amazons broken. Some of them rose above those past issues and became even stronger than ever. Diana's lips curled into a smile at the thought of the progress her many sisters made. Other Amazons failed to rise above those issues.

Diana hunted for one rogue Amazon while Alia attended the business conference. The Amazon Princess remembered her sworn duty. Hippolyta tasked Diana with the objective of spreading of the teachings of the Amazons, and with the objective of bringing peace.

'_Any rogue Amazon who threatens to disrupt any peace, is my problem.'_

The Amazon Princess struggled with the fact any Amazon agreed to work with the HIVE. Diana shoved her past perceptions off to the side. The Amazon's teachings contained a valuable lesson.

'_Perceptions often don't line up with reality,' _Diana said. _'She's turned on us.'_

Hope sprung in Diana's mind, and another conclusion visited her. HIVE brainwashed the Amazon and forced her to do their sinister bidding. Diana latched onto a theory; the alternative painted a far grimmer picture.

Diana's hairs stood up on the back of her neck. The Warrior Woman tensed her grip around the wall and turned around.

"I understand you've been looking for me, Princess."

Diana recognized the voice, but she struggled with her belief. A skilled warrior mimicked voices. This skilled warrior tried to dupe Diana.

"Yes."

The rogue Amazon drew a blade from her sheath and smiled. She beckoned Diana to attack.

"I don't want to do this."

"This is what makes you weak," the rogue Amazon said.

Diana drew her blade and the two of they stood face to face. Wind blew in the middle of the dessert. Mountains covered either side. The hot sun pumped down and gave the environment a less than ideal flavor.

"It makes me strong. Compassion doesn't make you weak, it makes you strong."

The woman snorted and drew her sword. Diana blocked the attack with her sword.

The rogue Amazon pulled back and tried to attack Diana again. Diana evaded the blow again. The Amazon Princess removed the sword from the woman's grip.

"You've forgotten the lessons, you've learned."

Diana kicked the rogue Amazon in the stomach. The woman doubled over, and Diana took advantage of her doubling over by kicking her in the ribs.

The rogue Amazon fell to her knees. The woman struggled to pull herself to a vertical base. Diana used her knee as a springboard point and plowed the rogue Amazon in the face with a Shining Wizard style knee strike.

"Do you yield?"

Diana reached down and removed the hood from the Amazon. She stepped back and mouth widened.

Someone turned up behind her. Diana turned her head around. Sara and Nyssa turned up. The second Diana turned, the Rogue Amazon rose to her feet.

A punch nailed Diana in the face. The Amazon Princess staggered forward.

"Evacuation, now!"

Seconds later, someone from a helicopter began to fire at Diana. Diana deflected the barrage of blasts from the helicopter.

The moment the dust cleared, the helicopter flew off. Diana spotted, through blurred vision, her rogue Amazon climbing inside of the helicopter.

"You really need to keep your eye on the ball."

Diana turned to face Sara and Nyssa. Both League members smiled at Diana.

"She caught me off guard, it won't happen again?"

"It won't happen again, I know," Nyssa said. "She has a bit of a grudge."

"One could say she does," Diana said.

"Do you know her?" Sara asked.

Diana hesitated for a mere moment and tried to reconcile the woman in her mind. Changes happened on Themscrycira ever since she, Donna, and Alia departed from the island.

"Well, I know you do," Sara said. "She looked at you like a scorned lover."

"I'm not the one who scorned her, technically," Diana said.

The two assassins stared at Diana with imploring eyes and Diana leveled with them.

"Her name is Aresia."

* * *

The HIVE boasted of some of the best facilities in the world. Their enhanced partnership with AIM afforded the group many great boons. The technology created and at times stolen, accomplished many great feats.

Said technology saved the world in the right hands. In the wrong hands, said technology enslaved the world. Right or wrong, all matters proved to be subjective and HIVE wished to become masters of the world.

The red-haired, green-eyed woman struggled against her restraints. The white-hot metal dug into her wrists.

HIVE imprisoned this woman deep underground after restraining her with a power inhibition. Where HIVE received such a device to chain a primal force of nature remained a question for another time.

'_We have to find a way out of here,' _Jaime thought.

'_I know, but we don't have control of this vessel,' _Jean said. _'At least, I don't, do you?'_

'_I don't have any kind of control,' _Jaime said. _'I don't even know what happened. One minute I followed my girlfriend through the portal, and the next moment I woke up in someone else's body, without the foggiest idea of how I got in it.'_

Jaime said a mouthful, she thought. The witch reigned herself in.

'_Died and got better,' _Jean said. _'Big explosion, not sure if I ever can die with my powers. The name Phoenix is appropriate….and she's in here somewhere.'_

'_What is the Phoenix?' _Jaime asked.

'_A cosmic force beyond all imagining and reckoning,' _Jean said. _'She's me, but at the same time, she isn't me.'_

'_Delightful,' _Jaime said.

The footsteps of a woman brought Jaime and Jean out of the conversation. The third presence in their mind remained silent.

The doors opened up. A dark skinned woman dressed in regal attire approached them. The woman's face showed elegant breeding. Perfectly formed cheek-bones, soft lips, and gorgeous black hair allowed them to see her beauty and sinister nature. The woman's white attire allowed a small hint of her cleavage. Golden clasps shined on the purple cape. The white tiara topped off the outfit.

"You do seem to be a tough one to crack."

The woman's eyes peered down at their prisoner. A momentary smile played on the corner of her lips.

"And now I know why. I don't have one will to bend, but two wills. You're going to be a difficult one, aren't you?"

Queen Bee considered a few options. The machine used to control the vessel failed to work. The machine's failure to work reflected on the ability of the man who built it. The man who built it showed himself to be insufficient and lacking of certain attributes.

The monarch stepped into the next chapter.

"What is it you desire, Queen Bee?"

Queen Bee detected a note of distaste coming from the man's force. She raised an eyebrow.

"I require a machine which will bring the Phoenix vessel under my control. Did you know two different minds reside in one?"

The large headed captive tried to lean closer to the Queen Bee. The wires hooking him into the wall prevented any kind of movement.

"The variable of there being two bodies was an unforeseen one."

"Indeed, and here it is I thought you made all of the calculations."

"An untrained mind may take greater stock in all of the calculations. I acknowledge there's a probability even the best calculations remain up for interpretation and alteration."

Queen Bee thought his excuse disguised as a reasoning showed inferiority. The woman closed the distance as far as she dared to go.

"Tell me, is there any way you can make a more powerful machine?"

"Not without destroying the minds of the vessel."

"Would this leave the Phoenix Force intact?"

Time stood still. The scientist delayed his answer. Queen Bee hovered a black box in her hand.

"The chip my associate implanted in your head complies you to obey HIVE, or consequences will be most dire."

Queen Bee pressed a button. A wave of energy blasted the scientist. The screams failed to stir any sympathy from Queen Bee.

"Do you get the message?" Queen Bee asked.

"Yes, I get the message, you hateful….."

Queen Bee pressed the button one more time. Another burst of energy bombarded the scientist and rocked him.

"Now, I've got your full attention, I'll ask you one more time. Would this leave the Phoenix Force intact even with the destruction of the two minds?"

"There's a ninety three percent probability the control of this Phoenix Force may be up for grabs…"

Queen Bee flexed her on the remote control device for a moment. The scientist flinched, and she laughed at his reaction.

"Do all you can to ensure the probability crawls up to one hundred percent?"

Jaime's sharp hearing picked up enough of the conversation.

'_We need to get out of here, like yesterday,' _Jaime thought.

'_I'm open for suggestions,' _Jean thought.

'_Well, the anti-power restraints make it very hard to magic my way out of here,' _Jaime thought. _'Providing I can even do magic in this body.'_

'_Could be a problem because I can't do magic,' _Jean thought.

'_The moment I get out of here, I will atomize the base and everyone in it for trying to cage and control me.'_

The Phoenix stirred away from her slumber and the cosmic force failed to be a happy camper. Jaime and Jean failed to even make a flippant remark because the Phoenix's power intimidated even these two brave women.

Jaime almost felt sorry for this HIVE. Almost, she thought, not quite, but almost.

* * *

Felicity recovered from the last night's adventure, and a part of her hoped to have another one more too long.

'_I must be a glutton for punishment,' _Felicity thought. _'I must be a glutton for something to….'_

Felicity stopped, and a rare sensation visited her. Rare instances occurred where a sight struck Felicity speechless. Most of the time, the opposite effect cursed Felicity. The woman spoke too much, saying way too much. Her brain's knack for saying all the wrong things harmed her.

The tech-savvy female spotted a dead girl. The Sara Lance disappearance and reported death hit the papers. Every day for about six months, no one could go anywhere the news whacking them in the face.

Sara and another woman patched up Diana.

"Your injuries aren't as bad as they could be, even though you took several hits from the helicopter."

"No, it isn't," Diana said. "Hello, Felicity, come in."

Felicity stepped inside for a moment. Sara turned around to face her.

"You're….Sara Lance," Felicity said.

"Yes, I am," Sara said.

Felicity tried to reconcile the next statement, so the girl didn't take it the wrong way.

"I thought you were….well no offense….you're dead."

"I got better," Sara said.

Nyssa hung her head to hide a smile.

"And now you know my secret, I'm afraid I could never let you leave."

Felicity stared at Sara, who didn't smile, or laugh. The girl started to sweat.

"I didn't….I mean…..I would never….I mean….who would….it's not what I mean to say was…..I wouldn't…tell a soul if you're alive, if you don't want me to tell anyone. I mean, it's not like I'm going to leak it on the Internet or anything."

Sara laughed and turned to Nyssa.

"She's cute, isn't she?"

"I'd have to say she grows on you."

Alia rescued Felicity from any further embarrassment by turning up with Karen now.

"So, did you find the OZ truck?" Felicity asked.

"Unfortunately, we didn't," Alia said. "But, we found the Phoenix."

"And we have an idea how to pinpoint her location, or at least the general area of where she is," Karen said.

Alia pulled a portable computer from her pocket. The Amazon Princess pressed a few commands in.

"How may I serve you, Alia?" Indigo asked.

"I need you to search for this energy signature," Alia said. Her fingers flashed across the screen and a complex set of commands flashed on the monitor. "Could you do this, for me?"

"With access to all of this world's satellites, I will not have any difficulties doing so."

'_So, there's a deeper purpose than helping SWORD?' _Carol asked.

'_Deeper, as in, we're still doing what we can to protect the world,' _Alia said. _'If I can use any resource to protect a woman in need, I'm going to do so.'_

'_Can't argue with reasoning like this,' _Carol thought.

Diana's eyes narrowed and her shoulders slumped. Alia leaned in closer towards her sister.

"What is it, Diana?" Alia asked.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news….but I know who the rogue Amazon is."

"And you didn't tell me the moment you found out, because?"

Diana sighed. Talk about a miscue on her part, but she struggled to get over the shock in her sister herself.

'_Aresia, Aresia left the island, and she's working with HIVE.'_

'_Great Hera!' _Donna exclaimed.

Kara chose her next few words carefully. Given the past tension between herself and Aresia, the words she chose mattered.

'_Well, did she act on our own accord, or was she….brainwashed?'_

'_I don't know,' _Diana said. _'I need to head back home and find out all I can about the situation on the island.'_

Diana rose to her feet and walked over towards Alia.

"I should….."

"No, there's no need," Diana said. She placed her hands onto Alia's shoulders and forced the younger princess to look at her. "You need to stay here and help, Nyssa and Sara deal with the HIVE. I'll make sure everything is alright, and contact you."

Alia frowned. Diana must be keeping everything she thought from her and the rest of the girls in the collective for a really good reason. Alia's knowledge of the politics of the Amazon lacked, due to her not being quite old enough to deal with it. Diana learned about it, Donna knew a little bit less.

'_Your guess is as good as mine,' _Donna said.

'_And it goes for you as well, Donna,' _Diana said. _'Keep a close eye on Claire, because after the HIVE's attempt to kidnap Cassie, they might be interested in girls of unique abilities.'_

'_You really think so, Diana?'_

Diana crouched down and planted a kiss on Alia. The Amazon picked up her battle armor and left. A short trip to the safe house allowed her a trip to the Amazons.

'_I don't like this,' _Alia said. _'She never should go alone.'_

'_She's Diana, we never have to worry about her,' _Donna said.

'_She always comes out of a situation smelling like a rose,' _Kara said.

'_And quite the rose,' _Felicity said. _'I didn't mean to say….well think…well anyway.'_

'_Don't worry, Diana's ego will be flattered,' _Donna thought.

Alia's skin prickled and she punched through a glass window. The girl's fist tightened and she yanked a black clad assassin through the jagged glass.

"Who are you?" Alia asked.

Nyssa recognized the attire on the assassin straight away. The woman's eyebrows furrowed, and she clenched her fists.

"You better announce yourself to Princess Alia of Themscrycira. Show your respect, on your tongue, or I'll remove it personally."

"Ra's Al Ghul, our great leader, wishes for an audience with Princess Alia of Themscrycira, or if she prefers, Alexandra Audrey Potter."

Diana almost reached the safe house before Alia sensed her stopping. Diana's protective instincts reached code red.

'_I'm coming back, the situation with the Amazons can….'_

'_No, it can't,' _Alia said. _'Go check up on the island, I'll deal with this. You told me to stay here, and I'm telling you to go.'_

"You're going to meet with him, aren't you?" Nyssa asked.

"Yes, he knows who I was," Alia said. "Do you think he would reveal it to them?"

"If it serves his purposes, he would," Nyssa said. "Might I suggest insurance if you're going to meet with my father."

"Do you have anyone in mind?"

Nyssa smiled and brushed a lock of Alia's hair out from behind her ear.

"I believe I have the perfect person in mind, and she already owes you a favor, so it's as well."

Sara's eyebrow raised and she stared her beloved down.

"Are you sure about this, Nyssa?"

* * *

Aresia's battle with Diana rattled the Amazon Princess. The rogue warrior smiled at the thought of getting one over on the Princess.

Queen Bee walked towards Aresia. Aresia sunk to her knees in a submissive pose at the monarch.

"Was it secured?"

"Yes, it's secured, "Aresia said. "Why do you need the OZ formula?"

Queen Bee reached down and clenched Aresia's jaw. She forced the Amazon to look up at her.

"You shouldn't question those who are above you, honey."

Aresia shivered for a second. She prided herself on being a powerful warrior. Queen Bee stood head and shoulders above the rest. The woman dominated anyone, man or woman. Aresia recalled the night where Queen Bee taught her an important virtue.

No matter how dominant you assumed you were, someone more dominant waited to take you under their hand.

"Do, be a dear and help the HIVE agents unload the canisters from the truck."

Aresia obeyed her mistress and walked over. Queen Bee watched her leave.

'_Such an obedient pet, a shame when I'm going to have to put her down when she's served her usefulness.'_

Queen Bee's attention diverted to another pet she acquired with the help of Aresia and like minded Amazons. The woman's struggle gave Queen Bee a challenge. HIVE's benefactor allowed Queen Bee to put their most powerful ally under her thrall, when under normal circumstances such an event would be impossible.

Queen Bee left to check up on the process of their Phoenix project.

The HIVE agents stepped back. A line of webbing wrapped around the ankles of one of the creature. A force pulled the HIVE agent into the shadows. Another line of webbing latched onto the Hive Agent and yanked him up into the rafters.

"Behold, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Girl!"

The HIVE agents pulled weapons on her. The agents fired at them on Spider-Girl. The web slinger arched to the side.

"No, I don't think so!"

Spider-Girl webbed onto the weapons and yanked them out of the hands of the HIVE goons. The HIVE goons staggered to the ground. Spider-Girl spun in mid-air and attached several web lines to her enemies.

The web slinging heroine propelled herself to the rafters. The HIVE goon searched for her.

Webbing splattered against the goon's goggles. Spider-Girl followed up the attack with a rapid fire series of punches.

"Tag!" Spider-Girl yelled.

The web slinger's punch tagged one of the goons in the chest. The goon staggered over. Spider-Girl turned around. A venom blast of sorts emitted from her hand.

'_Huh, new, oh well, roll with it.'_

Aresia plowed into Spider-Girl. The heroine's spider sense failed to go off. Aresia flipped Spider-Girl over and pummeled her.

Spider-Girl felt these punches. Aresia lifted an empty barrel over her head.

One canary cry stopped one squashed spider. Aresia staggered back, dizzy. She felt the desire to throw up.

A snap kick drilled the woman down and Aresia crumpled to the ground. The Black Canary secured the woman.

Black Canary reached down and helped Spider-Girl to her feet.

"Barbara figured you could use some help?"

"She wasn't wrong," Gwen said. "So, how's the new tech working for you?"

"Well, the proof is there," Laurel said. She inclined a finger down towards Aresia. "Might have overdid it, but….."

"She nearly crushed my skull."

"Didn't overdo it, then," Laurel said. "So, you've got the OZ…and you've got the Amazon. The question is what to do with both?"

Spider-Girl covered Aresia in a thick coating of webbing. She hoped this would hold her long enough for Alia to turn up.

* * *

Lady Shiva reclined against a stone wall. Three figures moved into promise.

"Princess," Shiva said. "And the daughter of the demon and her consort as well."

Sara amused herself with the look on Ra's face if Lady Shiva reminded him of the relationship Sara and Nyssa shared. The thought amused her. Shiva might be one of the few to get away from it.

"Thank you for coming," Alia said.

"I always pay my debts. How is Cassandra?"

"She's made a lot of progress," Alia said. "She may be ready to face you soon enough."

"I want to be certain," Shiva said. "I would hate to backtrack any progress."

Further arrangements vanished. An imposing man stepped towards them. His black hair shined in the moonlight with only the slightest touch of grey. The man's green robes billowed in the wind. A bald man dressed in ceremonial garb followed him.

"Hello, Nyssa," Ra's said. His eyes narrowed at the woman by Nyssa's said.

Valiant warrior or not, Ra's refused to acknowledge or endorse their relationship.

"And Lady Shiva," Ra's said.

"I'm here to mediate the meeting, great one, to assure this is on the level."

"It's prudent," Ra's said. "I expect you to be an impartial judge."

Ra's Al Ghul directed his full attention towards Alia.

"The stories and the descriptions to not give you an ample amount of credit, Princess. You truly are a flower amongst the weeds."

Alia ignored his attempt to appeal to her. Nyssa's eyes narrowed at her father's words, but she remained silent. Sara's fist clenched and Nyssa squeezed her hand in warning.

Ra's ignored the intimate contact between Nyssa and another woman. The Demon pressed on.

"And on a personal level, I extend my thanks for removing Riddle and his followers. Wand wavers are a blight, and the League had their share of difficulties with their operations in the past."

Ra's closed the gap between the two of them. Alia allowed herself to step back.

"Why did you….send such a messenger to ask me here?"

"We have a common enemy in Damien Darhk and his HIVE," Ra's said. "Your adopted home is in grave danger. I offer to an alliance with the League."

Alia frowned.

"I'm willing to hear you out, within reason."

"All I ask and all I expect," Ra's said. "But, allow me ten minutes to state my case, and my terms, and you can make a decision."

Alia nodded and opened the floor for Ra's to speak.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	42. Out of the Fire and Into the Hive

**Chapter Forty-One: Out of the Fire and Into the Hive.**

* * *

Alia refused to take the offer Ra's gave her at complete face value. Did the value benefit her? Maybe it did and maybe it did not. Alia's attention diverted over to Ra's face, and folded her arms.

Lady Shiva jumped in, and leaned in to him. The Demon's eyes narrowed at one of the most dangerous, if not one of the most dangerous, women in the world peered into his.

"This is a generous offer."

Alia nodded in agreement. She directed her full attention at Ra's. Out of the corner of her eye, Nyssa shifted and turned very nervous. Alia took note of the body language of her companion and leaned in to Ra's.

"It's a generous offer. One, I think on the surface is one which benefits both of us. I mean, the enemy of my enemy should be my ally. But….."

"You're wondering how I have learned about the plight of your sisters."

The thought crossed Alia's mind. Alia knew such information regarding the Amazons came at a premium. The facts as people perceived them shrouded themselves in myth to begin with. The Amazon Princess stared down the most dangerous man on Earth.

"The thought crossed my mind. How did you learn about the plight of the Amazons? I find myself rather curious."

Ra's bodyguard tensed up. The Demon turned to him with a narrowed set of eyes. The bodyguard fell back into line.

"Information travels through many channels my dear Alexandra. I have my contacts. I've learned many elements about the Amazons where an enemy can twist to their advantage. Namely, their inability to turn away a woman in need, and help them when they desire it."

Alia's anger bubbled over to the surface. Shiva's eyes locked onto Alia.

"Tell me I'm wrong about the fact the Amazons cannot turn down a woman in need."

"You're not wrong."

Ra's nodded, and coughed for a moment. Did Ra's attempt to gather sympathy?

"The women the HIVE utilizes are not conscious of their actions. Some of the drones prove themselves to be willing in the end, willing to be the perfect soldiers for HYDRA's directive. They want to prove their loyalty to the Queen Bee of HYDRA."

Alia stood up straight and looked Ra's in the eye. The Demon's discomfort flickered through his body, and Alia guessed why.

'_He isn't accustomed to looking someone like me in the eye, and judging them as an equal. Especially when a female.'_

'_No, he isn't,' _Nyssa said.

Nyssa's expression fell stoic in the outside world. The woman's expression on the inside showed a different story all together.

"The HIVE infiltrated the island, and….."

'_DIANA!' _Alia yelled.

Nothing hit the bond link. Some magical interference blocked out Alia's attempt to reach her sister. The Amazon gritted her teeth together and curled her fists up. No go, Diana's mind slipped out of range.

'_Do you want me to fly after her?' _Kara asked.

'_No, I'm not putting anyone else in danger…..yes, Kara, I know you can have it.'_

"You want to use the Amazons as a force to take down your enemy, and remove a problem from your side."

Alia turned, and Sara's mouth hung open. Nyssa stared down your father.

"You judge my actions?" Ra's asked. His cool tone burned through Nyssa's skin.

Nyssa stared back at the Demon without blinking. The woman's head inclined to Ra's.

"I judge them, and find them cruel. Your deception hits a new level."

"You've gone soft, Nyssa, because of your relationships, a pity," Ra's said.

Nyssa's eyes narrowed. She never sought to quarrel with her father. His disapproval at Sara caused Nyssa to reevaluate the situation. Her father's relationship with her cracked, and more cracks threatened to manifest as time went on.

"What is…"

"Nyssa," Lady Shiva said.

Nyssa grew silent at the words of Lady Shiva.

"We are still with a common enemy, despite our misgivings. And we are getting off of the subject."

"My apologizes, dear Lady Shiva," Ra's said. "Men are forbidden on the island, unless special permission is granted, am I correct?"

"Yes," Alia said.

"Then, I will not fly in the face of sacred traditions, and will respect them. I may not understand them, or think the Amazons are being very progressive with their attitude."

Nyssa's hand clenched. Sara reached to the side to grab Nyssa's hand in a warning. Her father's gaze brushed over them and to Alia.

"I respect the sacred traditions, even if I think they do not have any place in a changing world."

"There's a good reason why the Amazons are reluctant to allow men on their shores," Alia said.

"Princess Alia, this fact, I do not doubt, but time heals all wounds."

'_Except yours,' _Nyssa said.

'_Nyssa, don't kill your father,' _Sara said.

'_Thought, you'd be all for it,' _Nyssa said. _'And besides, I'd end up dead if I fought him at this point.'_

'_We don't want you to fight him, then,' _Alia said.

"What do you have for me, if I agree to join forces with the League?" Alia asked. "The favor of the princess does not come cheap."

"Does your sisters' freedom not come at a premium?"

Alia hesitated. Ra's called her bluff and hard. Alia's creed forbid her from putting any women in danger.

Shiva crossed over and leaned at Ra's. The most dangerous woman in the world whispered in Ra's ear. Ra's hesitated for a brief moment. Shiva said another statement.

Nyssa leaned to listen into Shiva. Only a few brief words entered her line of hearing and none of them made all too much sense.

"I wish to make you a deal, Alexandra Audrey Potter."

Alia's eyes flickered at her old name being used. The woman's fist clenched together, digging her nails into the side of her hand.

"Remember, she's dead, like the man you were before you took up the mantle of Ra's Al Ghul, Mr. Ducard."

Ra's paused for a second and cleared his throat.

"Yes, my apologies, Princess Alia. I've been Ra's Al Ghul for longer than many civilizations, and often forget what it's like to be lost in another identity. But, we cannot forget your roots."

Alia's poker face remained in play. The Amazon Princess stepped into the line of sight of the Demon.

"What are your terms?"

"I leave the female members of the League at your disposal."

Nyssa stood up straight in surprise. Out of all of the deals she expected her father to make, this proved to be rather low on the list of deals.

"And what do you want in return?"

"The broken form of Damien Darhk at my feet," Ra's said. "A reckoning has been coming between the two of us for a very long time. I hope you consider my offer and do what's the best for you."

Alia opened her mouth to say something to Ra's. Ra's shook his head.

"Mull it over, and return to me. Talk it over with your advisors. I'll return in the same place tomorrow when you have your final answer."

Ra's and his bodyguard left. Ubu departed as well.

Alia turned to her advisors. Sara and Nyssa stared back at her with an intense gaze.

"So, what do you think?"

"I think I made my point about the League clear more than once," Sara said. "I'm only staying with the League out of favor of Nyssa."

"And I'm being treated like the unfavored child in this situation, after all I've done in the name of my father," Nyssa said. "Still, his deal opens up the door for an opportunity, if you choose to take it."

Alia pondered Nyssa's words. Did she want to choose to take this opportunity, or leave it on the table? Only a fool may leave such an opportunity lingering on the table.

'_Gwen and I captured the Rogue Amazon,' _Dinah said.

Alia stood up. The deal with Ra's needed to wait. Alia looked to both Sara and Nyssa who nodded at each other.

* * *

Aresia struggled against the bindings. The prideful warrior's rage bubbled over to the surface as she tried to break free.

"You know, you could talk, and tell us what you know about Queen Bee's plans," Gwen said.

"I will get out of here," Aresia said. "And when I get out of here….I'm going to crush both of you."

Laurel stepped back and wondered what to do now.

"How do you normally get criminals to talk?"

"Well, a lot of the time, I dangle them over the top of a really high place, where there's a really long and hard fall awaiting them. Most of the time it works, some of the time it doesn't work, but what are you going to do?"

Laurel frowned. What were they going to do indeed? She eyed the webbing and turned back to Gwen.

"Are you sure it's going to hold?"

"I'm pretty sure it's going to hold," Gwen said.

Gwen's voice broke a little bit.

"In a few minutes, I'll be free, and you're going to wish you never interfered in my plans."

"Well, she's got the villain boating down at any rate," Gwen said.

The doors swung open. Gwen turned around. Her spider-sense did not warn her of the incoming arrival and the reason why her spider sense failed to warn Gwen seemed obvious at the moment. Sara and Alia joined them.

"Hello, Aresia."

Aresia's eyes fell upon the Princess of the Amazons. Guilt flickered into them for a brief second, but the girl's pride overrode any sense of guilt and obligation to the Amazons.

"So, should I kneel before you, Princess, and worship you?"

"You should mind your tongue around Princess Alia," Sara said.

"Your newest devoted disciple?" Aresia asked.

Alia cut Aresia free from the webbing and replaced it with a lasso wrapped around her. Sara raised an eyebrow at the curious choice.

"I'm up for bondage as much as the next girl, but are you sure this is the time or place?"

Laurel coughed and Gwen raised her eyebrow. The older Lance Sister stopped what she intended to say, thinking better of it, perhaps?

"This is a lasso I got on my Ascension ceremony. Diana has one and Donna has one. They all have one general purpose, and the purpose is to coax the truth out of a person."

"The truth can be a subjective term," Sara said.

"It's flawed," Alia said. "But, I think it's ability to stop the person from telling falsehoods remain spot on."

"It won't work on me!" Aresia yelled.

"We'll see," Alia said.

Alia's grip tightened around the lasso and she stared down at Aresia.

"Why did you join up with Queen Bee?"

"I left the island with a small group of Amazons were upset that you got together with an outsider. We all wanted to be the one to have the Princess's favor, even though I deserved it more than anyone else."

Sara rolled her eyes at the ego coming off of this one.

"There are no outsiders on the island, all women are welcomed."

"I know," Aresia said. "A mistake the Queen has made time and time again, allowing the wrong kinds of women to visit our island."

"You were brought upon the island, weren't you?"

Aresia's eyes shifted. Very painful memories flooded into her psyche. The lasso around her forced her to recall even more she blocked out of her mind.

"Yes I was, men destroyed the village I lived in, and assaulted my mother before my eyes. I fled before they could do the same to me. I swam for a long time, until I came across a ship wrecked in the middle of the sea."

Sara's stomach clenched at Aresia's description of her past.

'_Hard not to feel a little bit sorry for her.'_

"The next thing I knew, I woke up, in the royal palace, where the Amazons nursed me back to health. My village destroyed, Themscrycira became my new home."

"Just like it became Kara's new home after her world fell."

"I was on the island longer, I should have been…."

"Enough!"

Alia gripped her hand around Aresia's chin. Aresia shivered underneath the powerful grip the Amazon Princess.

"Listen to me, Aresia, I'm sick and tired of you blaming others for your own behavior. You could have come to be dozens of times, if you sought a relationship. I'm not sure if I would have accepted with the way you're acting. You're acting like an entitled brat, and you're no worse than the men who destroyed your village. Your mother would be ashamed of you!"

The words cut Aresia's skin worse than any blade.

"Ouch," Gwen said.

"Indeed," Laurel said.

Sara cleared her throat. As personal as the issue between Aresia and Alia turned out to be, they evaded the subject.

"How did you come across Queen Bee?"

Aresia's dripping hatred looked at Sara.

"I don't have to answer your question."

"You have to answer mine, because I hold the lasso," Alia said. She yanked Aresia to her feet and forced the rogue Amazon to face her. "How did you come across Queen Bee?"

Aresia's body betrayed her, and the compulsion to answer Alia's question washed over the rouge warrior.

"Most of the Amazons turned back. They feared leaving the safety of the island and most importantly, they feared the Queen's wrath. Whether or not they safely returned to the island, I cannot say. I pressed on, because I wanted to find another group of Amazons. The group Hippolyta tries to conceal, who left the island because of her arrogance and her weakness."

"You're the weak one Aresia, running from your problems," Alia said.

"You put Hippolyta on a pedestal, but she's very imperfect," Aresia said. "I left the island, and I ran into a ship."

Gwen turned to Laurel and Sara.

"So, are you getting the creepy Deja-Vu feeling, or is it just me?"

Aresia ignored Gwen's statement and pressed on.

"Queen Bee's forces brought me to her country. Nursed me back to health, and gave me a purpose beyond being with the Amazons. I could be more than a battered woman pining after the unattainable. Because, you're so perfect Alia, I can never have you."

The words spat from Aresia's mouth faster she could think them.

"She promised me you, and I jumped on it. And I promised to help her as well."

Alia gripped around the lasso. The Warrior Princess's question blurted out as simple as breathing.

"What help did you offer her?"

"I offered to help her acquire the OZ, but the OZ was never a prime objective. Mostly to keep you off of the trail until she could complete her conquest of Themscrycira."

"Anything else?"

Aresia's face screwed up. An oath the woman took and the lasso dueled for dominance. Alia exerted a dose of will on Aresia.

"Tell me, Aresia, what else?"

"The Phoenix Force," Aresia said. The stabbing pain in the back of her neck almost made the rogue warrior black out. "It will rewrite reality, and no longer will women have to hide on an island like cowards. We will be bold and free, and roam everywhere."

"You don't get it," Alia said.

"Queen Bee gave me one last gift."

Aresia flicked a vial out of her pocket. The vial smashed on the ground to release a choking cloud of dust.

Alia's eyes clouded over in lust.

"I have you now. Those pheromones bind you to me, and now I'm going to….."

A rough and violent kiss cut off Aresia. Alia pressed her lips onto Aresia. Aresia yelped as Alia's tongue slid into the depths of her mouth.

Alia crushed Aresia's body against the wall. Her hands ripped the garments from the rogue Amazon.

Aresia slumped against the wall after Alia finished raping her tonsils. Her face looked less elegant with bruised and puffy lips and a scratched face.

"Alia, you will….."

Alia cut off Aresia with another lip bruising kiss. The Amazon Princess folded Aresia's hands behind her head.

"You forget who the Alpha female is."

Aresia whimpered. Alia traced patterns down her stomach and reached closer down.

"Who has who, now?"

* * *

Aresia slumped against the wall. Drool dripped from her mouth and eyes rolled in the back of her head.

"I think she's broken now, isn't she Sara?" Alia asked.

"I think you have a new pet," Sara said. "Hopefully you remember who helped you train her to be such a good pet."

Alia smiled and squeezed Sara's hand. The Princess leaned in and touched Sara's lips with a light kiss.

'_I wish I was there,' _Donna said.

The middle Amazon princess's heart clenched with the feeling of betrayal. Aresia stabbed her in the chest, and Donna wished to be present for her former friend's punishment.

"Aresia, can you hear me?"

"Yes, Mistress," Aresia said.

"Who do you serve?"

"Princess Alia of Themscrycira," Aresia said.

Alia smiled. The Phoenix Song split into the air. The song turned more frantic than ever before. Alia slipped on her clothes.

"I heard it too," Gwen said. She walked a little crooked, but after the bit of debauchery, one could not argue.

They grew closer to their question. Another problem manifested itself. Alia pulled Aresia to her feet.

"You're going to tell me everything you know about the operation on Themscyria."

* * *

Diana took in the ocean air, touching down on Paradise. The Amazon Princess frowned. Her normal peanut gallery grew silent past a certain point.

'_The bond link must not extend to the shores. I wonder if there's any way to amplify the scope, in case of an emergency. Or maybe the protections around the island interfere with the traffic. Either way I guess….'_

Diana walked onto the island. Several months on the mainland turned into a much longer time on the island thanks to the time dilation properties. The oldest princess took in her surroundings.

No Amazons trained on the island. A red flag raised in Diana's head. A huge part of the Amazon lifestyle resulted in them spending a fair amount of their time training with each other.

Artemis and the royal guard stepped onto the island.

"Princess Diana, welcome back….we didn't expect you to return this soon."

"Hello, Artemis," Diana said. "There isn't anything wrong, is there?"

"No, Princess, nothing is wrong," Artemis said. "The Amazons formed an alliance with another nation, and the marriage between our queen and theirs occurred to bring our resources closer together."

Diana stepped back.

"Do my ears deceive me, or did you say my mother, our Queen, married another?"

"It's sudden. But, she's married another ruler, and our armies will join together. Queen Hippolyta decreed it is high time for us to expand our influence beyond these shores. The men have taken so much from us, it's time for them to return."

Diana frowned.

"I didn't believe it either," Artemis said. "Hippolyta says she considered the matter for a long time, but agreed after the latest departure of Amazons, she needed to reevaluate the way she ran things."

Clenching her hand around her sword, Diana's eyes averted to the Temple of the Goddesses. She failed to detect their presence.

"I will take you to see Hippolyta now, if you wish."

"Yes, I believe it will be prudent."

Artemis and Diana walked to the temple. The rest of the Royal Guard followed a few steps behind them.

Diana stopped at the entrance. Her mouth opened.

"Great, Hera!"

"No, not even I have as much confidence in myself, but I thank you for the flattery, my dear stepdaughter. Behold, the merger between Themscrycira and Biayla!"

The beautiful and sinister Queen Bee sat on Hippolyta's throne, with the Queen of the Amazons perched on her lap. The deceitful monarch ran her fingers through Hippolyta's midnight black locks.

The woman's hand tightened around a chain. Diana's eyes followed the chain around a necklace. A glowing red stone rested on Hippolyta's cleavage. The symbolism of Queen Bee's act made Diana's blood boil.

"Diana, get….."

Queen Bee pulled the chain. Hippolyta's eyes flashed over. Diana stood up to her full height and drew her sword out.

"What have you done to my mother, you witch?!"

Queen Bee smiled, but never left her position.

"It appears the Princess's trip left her distressed. She'll need to be sedated, and subdued."

The Amazon Royal guard walked to Diana. Artemis, one of the two people Diana never beat in a fight, approached her.

"Diana, please, we need to…."

Diana hoisted up Artemis and flipped her down to the ground. The General of the Armies hit the ground with a thud.

The other Amazons approached Diana. Diana drew her sword and started to clash it against the blades of her fellow warriors.

Her sisters attacked her, not holding back her attacks. One of the blades swiped against Diana's face.

Diana's eyes averted towards a locked window. The Amazon lowered her head and cut the torch from the wall.

'_Hera, forgive me.'_

The Princess swung the sword and sent flames flying. The Amazons scattered to avoid it. The curtains incinerated and caused a fire in the royal palace. Diana watched the throne room burn.

The duty of the Amazons to protect their Queen at all cost overrode what mind control Queen Bee ensnared them with. Diana hoped for nothing less.

The Amazon Princess hurled herself through an open window. Glass sprayed in every direction. Diana averted her trajectory to land on the rocks outside of the tower.

Diana rushed to the edge of the island. She tried to get off of the island. The Amazon Princess struck against the barrier and fell on her backside.

'_Great, I can get on the island, but no one can get off of the island. What did Queen Bee do? My mother's not herself….the necklace, of course.'_

HIVE drones joined more Amazon royal guards. Diana calculated the disadvantage greeting her. The Amazon's heart skipped several beats.

A slim hand gripped Diana. A portal opened and dragged her through.

Diana shook her head, and turned around. She recognized the realm she entered. Despair sunk to the pit of Diana's stomach.

'_Out of the frying pan and into the fire.'_

Diana looked up into the face of Circe. The goddess folded her arms. Despite the fact the two shared no love loss, common enemies made strange bedfellows.

"We might have a problem."

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	43. Phoenixstorm

**New Poll New Week. Vote On My Profile. **

**Chapter Forty-Two: Phoenixstorm.**

* * *

After her encounter with Aresia, Alia resumed the search for Jean and Jaime with renewed determination. The captive Amazon's information ended up being spotty, but solid enough for Alia to determine the general idea where Queen Bee imprisoned Jaime and Jean. The potential fate of the Amazons lingered in the back of Alia's mind.

She longed for the ability to exist in multiple places at once. Alia gritted her teeth and entered into the underground entrance. A surprise attack allowed them the advantage. Sara followed her, with Laurel, Nyssa, Gwen, and Karen going behind.

"Be prepared for anything," Alia said.

Gwen tensed up and something buzzed in her ear. The web slinging heroine launched a ball of webbing down the corridor. It struck the pressure point in the wall and caused spikes to shoot out of every direction. Another pressure point on the floor triggered more spikes shooting out.

"Seriously?" Laurel asked.

"Sometimes the old tricks are the best," Barbara said. "I've broken into the database, and you want to go three steps forward and four to the right. You avoid all of the traps if you head in this direction."

Alia soaked in Barbara's advice. The Warrior Princess stepped three steps to the right and four over to the right .She turned and slipped to the entrance.

The place did not go all nuts as Alia slipped in. The quintet of girls followed her up the doors.

"So, do we go up the stairs, or not?" Karen asked.

Alia removed a dagger from her belt. The dagger launched through her hand and passed through the stairs. A sizzling sound answered the question for them.

"So, stairs are a no go," Sara said.

"What about this?" Karen asked.

She directed Alia to an invisible panel. The panel illuminated by a wave of Alia's hand. Alia situated over the panel.

"Barbara, do you think you can dig up a password?" Alia asked.

"Yes, hook your gauntlet into the computer, I'll get you set up."

Alia folded her arms to wait. The wait lasted only a minute. The panel fired to life and several numbers fired up.

The stairs vanished and gave way to an elevator. Alia took a step above the floor, feeling as if she walked over hot coals.

'_Actually, walking over hot coals is kind of liberating. This is something else entirely, I believe.'_

The moment Alia touched the door, the door opened to reveal several HIVE drones. All of them armored and all of them adorned with heavy-duty weapons.

Nyssa drew first blood. The woman's sword impaled into the HIVE drone. The drones started to fire at Nyssa.

Their armor protected them from most of the attacks. The armor failed to protect them from Sara. Sara activated the Canary Cry to bring the goons down to their knees. They screamed in horror, their heads splitting open from the pain.

Karen bounced off of the goons like a super powered speed-ball. She ripped the armor from them.

A series of rapid fire punches rocked the goons. Karen lifted up the goon and hurled them up off of the ground.

"Not bad," Alia said.

"It's been a wh….."

One of the super powered HIVE goons entered the fray with a punch to drop the woman to her knees. Laurel opened her mouth and blasted the goon with a full blast Canary cry. His knees buckled for a moment.

The goon snapped out of it, growled, and punched Laurel onto her back. Sara jumped onto his back in response and spiked him in the side of the head.

She attached a sonic device to his head as well. Sara pressed a button and the sonic device rocked the goon. The super powered goon screamed in agony.

Alia grabbed him by the neck and flipped him through the exit. The super-powered HIVE goon landed in the distance. Spikes sliced through the chest and back of the creature.

"Well, overkill," Laurel said.

"It got the job done, didn't it?" Alia asked.

Laurel hung her head, with the barest of smiles flickering on her face. She failed to deny Alia's efforts got the job done.

"We better move to the elevator," Nyssa said.

The scream of the Phoenix split Alia's skull. The warrior princess avoided falling over. Sara caught her before she hit the ground.

"Are you okay?"

"I am, she's not."

Karen scooped all of them up and put them all into the elevator. The Kryptonian experienced pain through the point of view of her friend.

"Come on you outdated piece of junk, get us up there."

Karen wanted to punch something. The buxom blonde hoped more of those empowered HIVE soldiers showed up. The workout did her all kinds of good.

The silent ride on the elevator dragged on. The doors opened to reveal an empty hallway.

"If you're out here, free me!"

Gwen frowned. The group failed to notice the frown given Gwen's current masked state. They noticed the girl's body language take another turn, this time for the worst.

"What's wrong?" Sara asked.

"I recognize the voice."

Gwen rested to the door and pried it open. The chamber resembled a twisted looking honey comb.

MODOC, or maybe MODOK depending on what version she dealt with, hung from several wires. His face contorted in severe pain.

"You're looking for the girl, aren't you?" MODOC asked.

"Yes, how do you know?" Karen asked.

"I can assure you, I'm in no position to play any games. She's one level above me. They're trying to control the Phoenix Force to reshape the world."

"Why are you helping us?" Gwen asked.

"The HIVE imprisoned me, used me, I see no reason why I should not help you. And you're the only ones in the position to free me."

"After all of what you do, you're really going to play this card," Gwen said.

"Spider-Girl, anything AIM has done, pales in comparison to the strides HIVE made, the deals they made, they have…."

The second those words left MODOC's mouth, his mind short circuited. Sparks flew from his head.

"Damn it!" Alia yelled.

Alia closed her eyes to count to ten. Hard to do her current state, but the girl vowed to make a good attempt at doing so. Karen gripped Alia's shoulder and turned her.

"Don't forget why we're here."

Alia nodded, she would not forget why they were here. The Phoenix lingered above them. The closer they progressed through the base, the more Alia sensed the presence of the powerful entity.

'_Close.'_

* * *

'_We have to get out of here,' _Jean thought.

'_Well if we have to get out of here, I'm open for any suggestions you might have,' _Jaime thought.

The combined Phoenix entity understood the machine being built showcased a threat to them and their freedom.

'_I noticed our Phoenix companion is a little quiet,' _Jaime said. _'Does she perform the silent treatment act?_

'_I've gotten used to it,' _Jean said.

'_But I haven't gotten used to it,' _Jaime said. _'I guess it's the problem why we haven't been able to do anything. None of us have really gotten a feel for each other. I mean, some force, fluke of nature or whatever jammed us into this body and put us here. And now we got to deal with it, don't we?'_

'_Yes, we do,' _Jean said. _'Maybe we should figure out a way to work together before it's too late.'_

'_Well, too late could be coming soon,' _Jaime said. _'The minute Queen Bee gets back, she will turn on the machine, and it will be….well you know.'_

'_I know,' _Jean said.

'_We need to get out of here, and soon,' _The Phoenix said.

'_She speaks and she states the obvious,' _Jaime said.

The Phoenix's restless nature made Jaime restless as well. She could not get a good enough feel on what Jean thought.

'_So does it make you restless, or is it just me?' _Jaime asked.

'_Just you, although I am used to it,' _Jean said. _'If the three of us work in harmony, we might be able to break the restraints.'_

Jaime understood the restraints went a long away from sapping a person's power. She struggled to find a way out of them before time ran out. The seconds grinded on the clock, enough to show Jaime time grinded down.

The sounds of combat echoed in their ears from above.

'_Good help is on the way,' _Jaime said.

'_Is it help?' _Jean asked. _'I mean, it could be help. Or it could be someone here to transport us from one prison to another, you know.'_

'_Oh, I know, but….'_

One of the HIVE drones flew down the steps and landed with a crash at the bottom of the stairwell. Jaime hoped the attack took a whole of a hell lot out of him. The drone's broken body rested at the bottom stage. Arms and limbs thrashed from every direction.

'_Good,' _Jaime thought.

Jaime craned her neck to get a better look. A familiar figure came into prominence.

'_Karen,' _Jaime thought.

'_Who?' _Jean asked.

'_She's a friend of mine, she found me, I'm in the right dimension, thank Hera!' _Jaime thought.

'_Well you can thank all of the goddesses you want, but we still need to get out there alive,' _the Phoenix said.

'_Against, Miss Sunshine brings the good news, the cheers and the happiness,' _Jean thought.

Karen plowed one of the HIVE goons to the ground. Alia turned up. Laurel, Sara, Nyssa, and Gwen fought more in the next room.

Alia saw the woman behind the barrier with a striking shade of green eyes, very much like her own. The woman resembled a younger version of her mother. Some differences, some similarities, Alia took in features.

"Jaime."

Karen's chest raised and lowered. She took in the predicament her friend found herself in. Rage bubbled to the surface of Karen's. It swelled in her chest and threatened to burst out in the worst possible way.

"You know, I want to bust her out, but we better do this the smart way," Alia said. "Indy, do you think you can release her from the containment pods?"

"You humans have an expression I believe is appropriate here. This will be a piece of cake."

Alia hooked Indy into the system and allowed her to work her magic. The pod's energy signature emitted some high tech energy which tickled Alia.

The pod cracked open. Karen reached in and helped Jaime out of the pod.

"Stand back, I don't want to hurt you," Jaime said.

'_YOU ALL NEED TO GET OUT OF THE WAY, NOW!' _another voice yelled.

The warning from the second woman startled them. Alia sensed a second presence in Jaime's mind.

'_The Phoenix?' _Alia asked.

A second wave of HIVE goons broke through the doors and scrambled into the room. The goons stopped short as they noticed the prisoner is loose.

Before anyone sounded the alarms, the Phoenix knocked them against the wall. A vicious telekinetic attack slammed all of the HIVE drones against the wall.

Alia watched the scene unravel before her. The Phoenix unraveled the same people who caged her.

'_Damn, I feel it, and I'm not even there,' _Kara said.

'_I think we all feel it, everywhere,' _Fleur said. _'Alia, are you going to….'_

Alia stepped into the bubble. Pure power radiated off of the cosmic force.

Jaime, and anyone else in the body, blacked out because of the exertion. Powers or not, being kept for several days with minimal food and water taxed even the most powerful of people.

* * *

The combined forces inside the body woke up. Jaime groaned. After all of the time she spent in the hospital wing, she never wanted to wake up in one again. The sterile environment of a hospital unnerved her.

'_Of all of the fucking places to wake up,' _Jaime said. _'You'd think with great cosmic power, you wouldn't black out at the end.'_

'_Sorry, this body had an insufficient amount of fuel, and I taxed it to the limits,' _the Phoenix said.

'_Don't really sound too sorry for inducing exhaustion on us,' _Jaime said. _'And Karen and…..the Amazon chick, they looked like they had the matter well.'_

Jaime shook her head. She spotted a dark haired witch with blue eyes looking over her. The woman resembled Rowena Ravenclaw.

Something struck Jaime. The woman resembled Rowena Ravenclaw for a very good reason. The woman in question ended up being Rowena Ravenclaw. Jaime's mouth hung open in a combination of shock and awe. Only one word fell from her mouth at the sight of one of the most brilliant witches in history looking over her.

'_Wow,' _Jaime said.

'_I think we're back in the Xavier Institute,' _Jean said. _'There's…Ororo, and Kitty, they're watching….and I think they've discovered we woke up.'_

Ororo hovered over Jean.

"Jean?"

"Partly," the combined entity said. "Hello, Ororo, it's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you, but….how did this happen?" Ororo asked.

The woman's lips curled into a frown. Ororo asked a good question to be honest. Kitty left the room. The brunette talked to a blonde girl Jean struggled to recognize. Jean swore she should recognize the girl in question.

"Who is Kitty talking to?" Jean asked.

"She's talking to Illyana," Ororo said.

"Seriously? She's talking to little Illyana? You know, my mind might be battered a little bit, but I could have sworn Illyana's six years old, some sweet, and innocent little girl….is she flirting with Kitty?"

'_Did it blow your mind?' _Jaime asked.

'_To see a six year old teenager turn into a sixteen year old bombshell? Yes, my mind has been blown, it's weird, isn't it?'_

'_Meh.'_

'_What do you mean, meh?'_

'_Jean, if you've seen a lot of the weird shit I've seen, you'd understand this is only in the bottom half of the utter weirdness you could ever see.'_

'_No, you're making it up.'_

"And Jaime's in there as well," Rowena said.

"Present and accounted for," Jaime said. "I want to see Karen. I know she's here…..she arrived on time, but I lagged behind. The moment I went through the portal…."

"What happened when you got the portal?"

Karen stood at the door and she is not alone. Jaime took in the features of the Amazon who saved her. Gorgeous described her to a tee. Jaime's green eyes met an identical pair of green eyes.

'_Oh course, different universe, duh,' _Jaime thought.

Jaime pondered the entire situation, her frown deepening.

"Hey, Karen, I'm glad you made it," Jaime said. "And you are…."

"Alia Evans," the Amazon confirmed.

"Any relation to Lily?" Jaime asked.

"My mother."

"So, you're like me….but you don't use the Potter name….is James Potter even your father in this universe?"

"He is, but I've cut all my ties from the world. My birthday was Alexandra Audrey Potter."

"So, you were named after my grandmother, well the first and middle names are reverse, and she's an Evans. She's Audrey Alexandra Evans."

"Yes, one thing lines up in the universe," Alia said. "So did you go to the wonderful world of Hogwarts?"

"Yes," Jaime said. "Didn't you?"

"Never stepped one foot into the place. The Amazons rescued me, and I grew up as the youngest daughter of Queen Hippolyta."

A twinge of jealousy filled Jaime's being. She thought growing up on Themscrycira would be amazing. She spent such a low amount of time during her time on her planet.

'_Going to have to make up for lost time,' _Jaime said.

'_Why do I think your libido is going to drive me nuts?' _The Phoenix thought.

Rowena cleared her throat.

"Karen raised a good point. What happened after you went through the portal?"

Jaime wrinkled her forehead, or maybe Jean's forehead, up in concentration. The enchanter reconciled all of the memories, only to hit a brick wall.

"I followed Karen into the portal, and…..some bright light hit me."

"The Phoenix Force?" Alia asked.

"Maybe," Jaime said. "I don't know what happened. The next thing I knew, I woke up naked in a field in someone else's body, or maybe our bodies fused together. We look enough alike, although there's a birthmark…."

'_JAIME!' _Jean yelled.

'_What did I say?' _Jaime asked.

"I can't really be of much help, I'm really sorry," Jaime said. Her guilt racked her body. "All I remember is the bright light and anything which happened in between is a blur."

'_Am I being an overly concerned girlfriend because I'm worrying about a big gap in her mind?' _Karen asked.

'_If you are, I'm being an overly concerned older sister,' _Alia thought.

'_Technically, you'd be a younger sister, wouldn't you?' _Karen asked.

'_With the time dilation on the island and the time in Limbo….well the math's all wonky,' _Alia said.

'_Please do not go there,' _Fleur said. _'Magic and arithmetic mix about as well as mustard and chocolate.'_

'_Hey, do not knock it, until you have tried it!' _Kori said.

Jaime slumped against the bed and sighed. Rowena performed a couple more idle scans on her, with nothing coming up.

"Can I speak to Jean?" Ororo asked.

Jean returned back to the conversation.

"Hey, Ororo, long time no see," Jean said. "So, you're leading the X-Men now?"

"A lot has happened since your sabbatical, Jean," Ororo said.

Jean chuckled in bemusement.

"Oh believe me, I can tell."

"The real question is, what happened after Asteroid M?"

Jean racked her memories. The redhead's shoulders slumped after racking her brain. Ororo touched Jean's shoulder.

"I shielded most of the X-Men, Scott, the Professor, and Magneto were all trapped on the exploding asteroid, but nothing I could do. The explosion occurred and…..well, like Jaime said, I woke up in the middle of the field, with no memories how I got there."

"Another big blank between two events?" Rowena asked.

"Can you separate us?" Jaime asked.

"It's not looking favorable right now, but I'll do my best," Rowena said. "The entity you've created is still in the early stages of assimilating."

'_If it means my destruction, you can forget it,' _the Phoenix said. _'I'm tired of people trying to control me or destroy me to gain power. Sick of it, and I won't take it anymore.'_

Jean and Jaime shook from the sudden outburst from the Phoenix.

'_Wouldn't you like your own vessel, and not have to share with someone else?' _Jaime asked. _'A body to call your own.'_

'_With all of my great cosmic powers, it's the one thing I've never been able to successfully acquire,' _the Phoenix said.

Rowena caught the projection of the Phoenix. The cosmic force ended up being the key to all of this, but how she proved to the key is a challenge.

* * *

Donna wrestled about what Aresia did. The middle child of the Amazon Royal family wanted to give Aresia the benefit of the doubt.

'_You know, I'm the last person you should be asking for advice regarding Aresia,' _Kara said.

Donna recalled Aresia's attitude when Kara and Alia joined into a relationship. Diana experienced some jealousy, but nothing compared to Aresia.

'_Have to talk to her,' _Donna thought.

Donna walked down to one of the cells. Aresia reclined on a decent looking bed. The renegade Amazon's eyes shifted to Donna.

"I don't think I have anything to say to you."

"What did I do?" Donna asked.

"You should have invited me to come with you, when you left the island. Kara left, and she isn't family….."

"All of us on the island were sisters!" Donna yelled. "I thought Alia fixed her."

"My loyalty extends to Princess Alia, she's ensured it. But, I think she has far more pressing problems to worry about. I've informed her about what's happening, but she must have forgotten it in the attempt to play heroine. Princess is about to crack under the pressure."

"One person cracked Aresia, and the person is you."

Aresia's legs swung off of the bed and she walked over to the cell.

"You and I are about to have a lot in common, Donna Troy. We're about to lose the place we called our home for many years. I lost my home once, found another, and lost it….I lost it when the Kryptonian crashed down."

"What are you talking about?" Donna asked.

"Queen Bee's new bed pet is Queen Hippolyta."

"NO!"

Donna wrapped her hands around the cage. The bars bent from the pressure.

"No, you must be…you have to be….you're….LIAR! My mother is strong."

Aresia paused for a moment and continued.

"Our Queen's most obvious flaws is her trust is too strong. She wishes to see the best of people, even at their worst. A gift opened the gateway, and other things followed."

Donna punched through the door and grabbed Aresia. The Amazon Princess flung her through the ground.

"You allowed this to happen! After all…."

Aresia peered up at her former friend.

"Are you going to kill me Donna? You might be something if you did, other than the middle child, other than the spare. And you know, I'm not lying, dear Diana hasn't returned."

Donna removed a blade and hesitated for a second. So easy to run her sword through Aresia's throat for her treason, but a strong pair of hands pulled the blade from her. Donna staggered back in time to see who arrived.

"Donna, she's not worth staining a blade."

Kara popped up at Donna's shoulder. Alia appeared a second later.

"To your feet."

"She attacked me, Mistress," Aresia said.

Alia's gaze burned into Aresia's face.

"We have to head home now, time is running out."

Diana not checking back in cast a grim cloud over the proceedings. If the HIVE endangered her sisters, Alia failed to even come up with a punishment adequate enough to make them pay.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	44. Deal with the Demon

**Chapter Forty-Three: Deal with the Demon.**

* * *

Diana assumed she faced a very dire situation. The Amazon Princess refused to go off of assumptions alone given how faulty they turned out even in the best of times. The valiant woman cocked her head and leaned in to face the woman who saved her.

Circe rescued her from certain capture and thus underlined how dire the situation on the island turned. Diana wondered how everything unraveled so quickly.

'_None of this makes any sense. My mother is of strong will. She can't be enslaved, she can't be. And by someone of the caliber of Queen Bee. I can't believe she would fall. None of this makes any sense."_

None of anything occurring on Themscyria made sense. Yet, it occurred and Diana found herself face to face with the goddess of magic. A woman who Diana battled before.

"So, it's time for us to talk, instead of staring at each other awkwardly."

Diana cocked her head at Circe for a brief moment.

"Did you transport us into your realm?" Diana asked.

"Well, I have many places I call home. But to answer your question, no I didn't transport you into my realm. People can enter the island, but they can't leave. Someone tampered with the protections around the island."

Diana stood up straight at those words. The Amazon Princess regained her composure a few seconds later.

"Someone tampered with the protections around the island?" Diana asked.

"Yes, they have," Circe said. "And they did a pretty good job."

Diana tucked her hand underneath her chin. Despite her past problems with Circe, Diana reached the grim conclusion Circe understood what went on with the protections better than anyone else.

"Queen Bee couldn't have done what she did," Diana said.

"You and I have reached the same conclusion, and I agree, she couldn't have. Which means she has external help."

The term "external help" coaxed a groan out of the back of Diana's mouth. Circe smiled for a brief instant and turned. She peered out from behind the barrier.

"The Amazons search for you," Circe said. "Queen Bee controls the Queen and she controls the pawns."

Diana's eyes snapped towards Circe's. The beautiful Amazon rose up to her full height and stared down the goddess with rage.

"My sisters are not pawns!"

"I didn't mean to imply as such," Circe said. She smiled and patted Diana on the shoulder. "But, if Queen Bee's control of Queen Hippolyta is somehow broken, it would be a lot easier for us, don't you think?"

Diana said nothing. The woman wrapped her hand around it. The Amazons searched for her.

"Queen Bee planned this for years. She placed sleeper agents amongst the Amazons, posing as battered women. I guess your noble creed came around and bit you eventually."

"There's nothing wrong with the Amazon creed," Diana said. "The fact people used it against us is an insult."

"I would agree, you should be insulted someone used your teachings against you, to manipulate a scenario," Circe said. "All women….well most women are welcome on this island."

Circe stepped back for a moment and caught her thoughts.

"Queen Bee understands how to exploit the generosity of the strong hearted better than anyone else. She flipped the scenario around, and her sleeper agents waiting for their orders helped her gain control."

Diana bowed her head. The fact this situation even occurred ended up being one of the biggest black marks in the entire history of the Amazons. The Princess sunk down to her knees and tilted her head back.

"Hera, if you're out there, I need your strength, as soon as possible."

Another goddess put her hand on Diana's shoulder. Diana turned around. The only goddess to answer her prayers ended up being Circe. The Amazon Princess experienced a sensation not unlike getting kicked in the stomach.

"In the darkest hour, the goddesses of Olympus may have forsaken the Amazons."

"They would never, they could not!" Diana yelled. The Amazon slumped further to the ground.

Diana took a few seconds to pull herself together. Her entire belief system crumbled down like falling walls. Circe leaned against the pillar and frowned as she locked her eyes onto Diana's.

"Diana, I'm sorry."

Diana wondered if something messed up her hearing. Those words belonged on a list of words Diana never expected Circe to say.

"What?"

"I said I'm sorry," Circe said. "I know your entire world crumbles down. A really bad day is something many never bounce back from. When your entire system of beliefs crumble down, and you lose faith in the ones around you. I've been there, Diana, I know."

"You know?" Diana asked.

Diana lifted herself from her feet. The Amazon Princess refused to feel sorry for herself for much longer. The Princess wished to exhibit strength and lead her people by example.

"If you feel any guilt about this, I will turn you into a pig again," Circe said. "Although it will be easier to hide on the island."

"Don't even think of it," Diana said. "But, how could you even be on the island in the first place? My mother said you would no longer be permitted on the island as long as she reigns as Queen."

"No," Circe said. "Your mother banished me from the island as long as her control remained absolute. Wording means everything, if you think about it hard enough."

Diana's eyes widened. Circe found a loophole.

"To be fair, darling, I'm a lawyer in my mortal job for a reason," Circe said. "But, I'm not here to save you, or save Hippolyta. I'm doing this for Alia."

"What's your intentions for her?" Diana asked.

Despite the dire situation they were in, despite rogue Amazons, controlled Amazons, and mercenaries hunted for them, Circe found much amusement in Diana's overprotective older sister act.

"I owe Alia a debt which never can be fully reconciled. Her biggest role is yet to come….we better keep moving."

Queen Bee's forces drew nearer. Circe's confidence remained intact in her cloaking spells, but nothing lasted forever.

* * *

Hippolyta's dazed state continued. Queen Bee crouched down to face the Queen of the Amazons, a sliver of a smile crossing her face.

"You are awake in there, and long to fight out."

Queen Bee jangled the chain tied to the necklace around Hippolyta's neck. The woman's lips curled into a taunting smile as if trying to rile her up.

The woman's pheromones ensnared most men and a fair number of women. The monarch's frustration of not being all powerful raised a new level. Her frustration illustrated one of the key reasons why she sought to control the Phoenix Force. Her research on the matter indicated those who controlled the Phoenix sought to control reality.

"You won't….you won't…."

Queen Bee tightened her grip around Hippolyta. The woman's eyes widened for a moment. The faintest hint of rebellion entered her body. The ruler of Biyala smirked at these signs of rebellion. Signs of hope for Hippolyta manifested where she might break free from Queen Bee's control.

"I'm impressed. Very few withstand my power for very long. You truly are the Queen of the Amazons for a reason. You earned this role, but….even the almighty Hippolyta falls to her knees before a true ruler."

Queen Bee pulled Hippolyta off of the throne. The Amazon Queen's defiant stare burned into the face of her fellow ruler. Queen Bee rested her hand down on the top of Hippolyta's head. Her right hand fell on the top of the woman's head and the leash clutched in her left hand.

"Kneel."

Hippolyta sunk to her knees in the ultimate demeaning act. She struggled, but the Queen's knees dug into the pavement in the ground before her.

"Excellent, you'll be trained to be an obedient pet, a servant, yet."

Pheromones alone failed to subvert the Queen of the Amazon's to her will. Queen Bee allowed herself to utilize other methods to put the ruler underneath her powerful thumb.

Two girls shifted in the background. Queen Bee knew they showed their loyalty time and time again, but they also showed fear and apprehension.

"So what happens now, Queen Bee?"

"We solidify my control over the island. One thing to be certain of, my control is absolute, and I'll decide not only the next steps we'll take, but when we'll decide to take them."

Hippolyta's eyes shifted over for a moment. Queen Bee cupped the chin of her new pet. The two rulers locked eyes in a battle of wills. Queen Bee showed herself to be victorious in such a battle, mostly due to the fact she acquired such an advantage.

"And I have the Amazon Queen on her knees. Your daughters will join you in servitude. Your oldest is being hunted down. She's skilled, but she'll last forever."

Queen Bee laughed at the glare entering Hippolyta's eyes.

"Go ahead and say it, Hippolyta. You're burning to say it, so say it. Say, Hera help us all."

Hippolyta's eyes averted away from Queen Bee for a second. The ruler forced Hippolyta's gaze to meet hers one more time.

"Your goddesses have forsaken the Amazons. Why is it I wonder? Could it because they realize how pathetic the woman they chose to be Queen truly is?"

Hippolyta's eyes burned over in a gaze made only of hatred. She returned to her feet and tried to wrap her hands around Queen Bee's neck.

"Cease!"

The woman's arms lowered despite wanting nothing better than to wrap her hands around the throat of the woman who enslaved her.

"Kneel!"

Hippolyta struggled against the order. Her base instincts fought against Queen Bee's strong will. The woman yanked on the chain tied around the necklace around her neck. The woman released pheromones to help add to the magic enslaving her.

"I said on your knees, Hippolyta!"

The humiliated Amazon Queen dropped to her knees, never once breaking the look of hatred she developed for Queen Bee.

Queen Bee's satisfaction lessened by how hard she needed to exert her own power to make Hippolyta bow before her. The monarch tightened the leash around the woman.

'_The manufacturer ensured me the necklace would lead to me having absolute control over Hippolyta. But she slips in and out of control. I can only hold her for a short amount of time. I don't like….I don't like how I'm losing my grip over her. I'm going to have to do something about it, and soon.'_

After dosing Hippolyta with a large amount of pheromones, Queen Bee turned to her guards.

"I'm done playing with the Queen. Lock her up until I decide what I want to do with her next."

Queen Bee's guards walked over. The guards lead the now sedated Hippolyta off into the distance.

'_She's breaking my control or someone powerful assists her.'_

* * *

The meeting with Aresia left Donna in bad spirits and with the desire to do something very reckless, something she might end up regretting at the end of the day

"Alia, I don't….we got to get to the island now, Diana could be in danger…..Diana is in danger! She's dropped off of the bond network, and you can't reach her, can you?"

Alia shook her head, frowning at her inability to reach her sister in this situation. The Warrior Princess tried to keep her head together, but even her self-control faltered in a bad situation like this.

"Donna, believe me, I know how you're feeling."

Alia and Kara half held the Amazon Princess back. The Amazon struggled against the grip and relaxed.

"Going off cock-eyed to the island isn't going to solve a damn thing," Kara said. "It's what Queen Bee wants and us going off like it is going to play into her hands."

"Admirable words and I couldn't agree more. Shows how much you're growing and adapting."

The one and only Lady Shiva left the shadows and stepped into the light. Alia, Donna, and Kara turned their attention to one of the deadliest women in the world, perhaps the most deadly woman in the world.

"You know, very few keep the Demon waiting, whether they be man or woman," Lady Shiva said. "You must be certain you'll end up better out of the deal, or you're thinking of the best way to decline his offer."

'_Alia, you're not going to accept the offer are you?' _Donna asked.

'_He offered me the female members of the League,' _Alia said. _'I've got an idea.'_

'_I'm either excited or scared,' _Kara said.

'_Really, I'd go with some combination of both,' _Karen said. _'Because who knows what Alia's devious mind has cooked off. If her plans are anything like Jaime's, we're going to get some explosive results.'_

Alia ignored the comments from the peanut gallery and turned her full attention to the most dangerous woman on the planet.

"I am willing to accept his offer to utilize the females of the League in this mission. But I'll only need a few to carry out my plan."

"You must then pick the best and the brightest then," Shiva said.

Alia smiled. The plan benefitted her most of all. She hoped the entire mess did not blow up in their faces.

The one and only Ra's Al Ghul turned up, flanked by both Nyssa and his bodyguards. Nyssa locked eyes with Alia.

'_I hope you know what you're doing,' _Nyssa said.

'_I don't come out of a situation without having the upper hand,' _Alia said. _'Rule of the warrior, make sure you have the leverage in any given situation. Wouldn't you agree?'_

Nyssa agreed and her frown deepened. Her father approached Alia and looked up at her.

"Princess Alia of Themscrycira, have you made your decision?" he sked.

"I have, and I accept."

"You have, well I thought our alliance would benefit us both," Ra's said. "I'm satisfied to see you have agreed. The female members of the League are at your disposal to help you return control of the island of Themscrycira."

'_As opposed to the volcano,' _Sara said.

'_Beloved, now's not the time to mock,' _Nyssa said.

'_What, he can't hear a word I say?' _Sara asked. _'Perfect time to mock him behind his back I think.'_

Alia smiled when she looked up at the most dangerous man in the world.

"I'll need, only a select few assassins to help me pull out the strength."

"Going for quality over quantity?" Ra's asked. "Not the strategy I would have gone for, but I'm sure you already have a plan in mind. And no doubt, you already have an idea of the assassins which you intend to utilize for today's battle."

"Yes," Alia said. "I choose Lady Shiva."

'_And now the League of Assassins descended into a Pokemon game,' _Gwen said. _'Which is about along the lines of Alia's attitude of having to catch them all.'_

Lady Shiva smiled and gave an accommodating bow before the Princess.

"An excellent strategy," Ra's said.

"Sara is on the top of my list as well," Alia said.

"Yes, take her," Ra's said.

'_Can't you feel the approving love in his statement?' _Sara asked.

Nyssa flinched a bit beside her father, but no one picked it up other than Alia. Alia decided to make her next play.

"And I want your daughters."

Nyssa's eyebrow raised. Her father pressed on like he failed to properly hear Alia, or maybe he failed to expect the one trump card she threw down.

"Yes, Nyssa would be an excellent member for your team, and I know she'd want to be involved in it."

Alia leaned to the Demon. His bodyguard stepped in front of Ra's to block him.

"Ubu, back," Ra's said.

Ubu fell back into line. His eyes stared on Alia.

"I said daughters, as in both of them. As in Talia as well. Nyssa informed me of her younger sister, and I want her as part of my team."

"I don't know," Ra's said. He needed Talia if his plans with the Detective would go off without a hitch. He refused to allow Talia to be corrupted like Sara did to Nyssa. "There are alternatives, many other females in the League."

"I want your daughter," Alia said. "She's a female member of the League, and you said the females in the League are at my disposal."

"You did agree to those terms," Lady Shiva said.

"I would hate to think the fabled Demon is not worthy of the word he speaks," Alia said. "To get your enemy you must give me your most cherished possession."

"You can't get your sisters back without my help," Ra's said.

"Your moment of mercy allowed Damien Darhk to form the HIVE and allowed Queen Bee to enslave the Amazons," Alia said. "Therefore, your debt must be paid. Unless you have no honor."

"A deal is a deal, Father," Nyssa said. "You don't want to risk a war with the Amazons, should Alia find an alternate way to free them without the assistance of the League."

Ra's understood his daughter's words. Such a war may very well leave the League devastated and unable to pick up the pieces.

"Very well, but rest assure, when this over, there will be a reckoning. I will fight for my daughter."

Alia leaned into Ra's.

"It's Talia's choice where she chooses to go, like Nyssa made her choice with Sara."

The emotional dagger pieced the heart of Ra's Al Ghul. The Demon's glare burned into Alia's face. He turned around to Nyssa.

"Go fetch Talia."

Nyssa left to do what her father asked. Ra's stooped down to glare Alia in the eye.

"I want Darkh in three days. Or every woman on Earth will suffer from the consequences of your failure."

"I'll have him to you," Alia said.

Ra's turned and left in a worse mood where he arrived. Lady Shiva stepped to Alia and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You've made a powerful enemy on this day."

"I know," Alia said.

'_Okay, why would you stir the Viper's den and piss Ra's off?' _Gwen asked.

'_Because, Sara and Nyssa in the League and the Collective is a conflict of interest,' _Alia said. _'I need a bargaining chip in case Ra's tries to offer them for treason. Talia is my bargaining chip, she's his favored daughter.'_

'_Does Nyssa know about this plan?' _Sara asked.

Kara cut through the bond with a very un-lady like snort.

'_Who do you think came up with the idea?'_

Alia hoped the plan did not blow up in her face. She expected explosive results, but in a good way.

* * *

Nyssa escorted a woman into the camp. The woman's dark hair shined in the moonlight. Her features benefitted from a delightful mixed ancestry. Her tanned skin shined in the moonlight. Elegant high cheekbones, a formed nose, and soft plump lips gave way to an elegant neck. She wore a black jacket and a tight red top. The top stretched across her breasts and moved down to expose her navel. She wore skintight black leather pants which looked like someone painted them on her.

Alia rose to her feet to greet the woman with a smile.

"You must be Talia."

"I am," Talia said. "And you're Princess Alia of Themscrycira. A pleasure to meet you, and I'm at your service. Although my father didn't seem too pleased."

Nyssa frowned. Her younger sister failed to learn some truths. The biggest truth happened to be their father seldom ended up happy unless everyone followed his orders to the letter. Any deviation, and they experienced the displeasure of the Demon.

"He's going to have to get over it," Alia said. "Nyssa informed you of the situation, didn't she?"

"She has," Talia said.

"Nyssa speaks high of you and your abilities, not so much of your taste in suitors."

Talia frowned at those words.

"I might have to turn my attention elsewhere out of necessity," Talia said.

Nyssa wondered what Talia meant.

"The HIVE is an adversary to the League, and Damien Darhk runs the HIVE. Only one person knows where Darkh is."

Alia considered Nyssa's words and smiled.

"And she's the person we're going to have to go after, Queen Bee."

"Is there room for one more?"

An unexpected arrival cut through the air. Cassandra stepped to them, dressed in elegant battle armor.

"My daughter, I'm pleased to see you have joined us," Lady Shiva said.

"Only if Alia permits it," Cass said.

Cass turned to Alia and stared her down with imploring eyes. Alia leaned down and looked in her eyes.

"If you think you're ready, than you're ready. Any doubt, and you might want to think again."

Cassandra folded her arms. The prodigal assassin's glare matched the strongest stare one mustered.

"I have no doubts."

"Excellent," Alia said. She leaned down and kissed Cass on the cheek. "And I have one more trump card."

Alia waved into the shadows. Aresia walked into the line of sight. Donna, who stood in the background, glared at Aresia. Alia placed a hand on her sister's shoulder to calm her down.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	45. Trojan

**Chapter Forty-Four: Trojan.**

* * *

Diana wondered when the situation gone so far south. Her only hope of salvation pinned upon Circe. The fact Circe proved herself to be on the level time and time again ate away at Diana. The Amazon Princess wrestled with the fact she might very well be wrong. Talk about your bitter pills to swallow.

Circe worked away at the enchantments Queen Bee, or rather one of her associates, placed upon the island. Diana waited for the other shoe to drop. The two of them moved around the island rather often. Queen Bee's controlled Amazons did their best to keep up the hunt for Diana.

Diana closed her fist. The last thing the Amazon Princess wished is to harm her sisters. The conclusion she reached ended up being she might not have the choice.

"I have them, let me bring them to Queen Bee at once."

The oldest Amazon Princess turned her head for a brief moment. She spotted Aresia, and she lead three prisoners onto the island in chains. A small group of uniformed personnel followed her.

Diana's heart clenched into her throat the second she realized Aresia imprisoned Donna, Alia, and Kara. The blood of the Amazon Princess boiled as well. How dare Aresia do this? Diana wondered where the young woman went wrong.

Reason flew out of the window for Diana. The Amazon rushed from her prison. The warning Circe told her to stay put.

"Once we find the other one…..!"

"You don't have to look for me for much longer, I'm right here!"

Diana stepped into the battle. Four Amazons turned their attack to her. They rushed Diana.

The Amazon Princess crouched down underneath the fist of one of her enemies. She rose from her crouching position with a violent uppercut punch. The cracking of knuckles against bone showed Diana the attack worked.

Diana elbowed one of adversaries in the chest and knocked the wind out of her. She gripped one of them around the head and slammed her hard into the ground. The fourth Amazon tried to take Diana out.

The oldest Princess dodged a wild swing. Diana waistlocked the woman and launched her back with a huge suplex to drive her onto her head.

"Alia, do me a favor, and take out your sister."

Aresia released Alia from the chains. Alia rushed at Diana.

Diana turned around, and Alia nailed her with a huge punch. Diana blocked a second punch, and tried to force Alia back a few steps. The two Amazon Princesses struggled back and forth in battle.

"Alia, no, you're stronger than this….."

Alia forced Diana's arm back. The youngest Amazon Princess brought Diana down with a legsweep. Alia flipped onto her back and grabbed Diana around the throat.

Diana struggled under Alia's grip. The oldest Amazon flipped her sister off of her.

Alia landed a few feet away from Diana. Diana did not have a chance to get a breath before alia rushed her. Alia plowed hard into Diana's chest and doubled over the Princess. More punches connected with Diana.

Diana gasped for breath. Alia gripped her into a headlock of sorts.

'_Make it look convincing.'_

One stray thought entered Diana's mind. The Amazon struggled for a moment, but understood. She understood where Alia came from.

Relief spread through Diana's body. Her warrior pride refused to do anything other than give Alia the best fight. Diana powered out of Alia's grip.

"I'm going to knock some sense into you, Alia!" Diana yelled.

A punch nailed Alia in the face. Diana gripped Alia in an attempt to take her down. Alia used Diana's own momentum to send her flying back onto the ground.

The rogue Amazons licked their wounds, but even the battle between the two Amazon Princesses drew their attention. Diana and Alia fired a series of punches, and kicks to each other.

Diana staggered back to a knee. She felt her mouth, blood dripping from it. The raven-haired warrior lifted her head in time to run into Alia's foot. Alia kicked her down onto the ground.

"You know, you always looked better on the bottom anyway."

Alia pinned Diana's arms back. Diana tried to regain control. The Amazon wrapped her legs around Alia and wrestled her to the ground.

Diana pulled herself up. She tried to punch the ever living hell out of her sister. Alia crouched down to avoid the attack. The woman popped back up and tagged Diana with a series of jabs.

Alia dipped underneath Diana and hoisted her off of the ground. The two princesses flew several steps back and landed in a nearby muddle of mud with a splash.

Diana rose from the mud, dripping wet. Alia grabbed her by the hair and heaved her. The older Princess struggled away from the grip of the younger princess. Nearly losing her balance, Diana realized she lost her lasso in battle.

"Now, it's time for us to wrap this up."

Diana groaned. She caught her lasso to prevent Alia from tying her up. Alia snapped the rope, and sent Diana hurtling to the ground. The wind knocked out of the Amazon Princess with Alia's attack.

Alia bound Diana with her lasso. The Amazon Princess stood over Diana's broken body, having tied her up.

The HIVE drones walked over, to pull up Diana, now rendered powerless due to being tied up by her own lasso. They chained Diana up next to the girls.

"Rejoin them," Aresia said.

Alia smiled, and walked over. Aresia stopped her.

"You've done well, pet."

Aresia forced a kiss onto Alia. Alia returned the kiss for a moment, shoving her tongue, and reminding Aresia not to get too attached with the dominant role.

The rogue Amazon stepped back for a mere moment in a daze. She turned to Diana. A bit of her old personality shined through. Alia told her to act as she might had Alia not enslaved her, although Alia reminded her it would only be until the plan moved forward.

"I'm sure Queen Bee will be pleased. She'd like to complete the set."

* * *

Queen Bee's smugness grew to a brand new level. She peered down at Aresia who walked forward. Each Amazon Princess walking into the picture caused her to grin. They would go nice in her collection alongside the Queen of the Amazons.

The ruler of Biyala lifted herself to cloud nine. She rode a wave of power and her lips curled into one of the most devious grins she could muster.

"So, you've got her," Queen Bee said.

"Yes, I have, mistress," Aresia said. "You remember our deal, don't you?"

"Yes, I remember our deal, I'll allow you to play with the Princesses , but first, I need to speak to the youngest one."

Alia turned her attention to Queen Bee. Aresia removed her from the chains.

"Do not be afraid, I will not harm you, unless you give me a reason to you. Come forward, Alexandra."

Alia's eyes flickered for a moment out of annoyance of Queen Bee using her name from the world. She hid it well and strode to her.

Pheromones engulfed her. Alia acted like they affected her. Being bonded with a Veela, even a part-one, allowed her numerous perks. Especially when combined with her own iron will power. The pheromones stirred up certain thoughts and emotions in her body.

"Yes, my child, come forth, and face me. You'll be my second in command, someone of your power deserves a spot of honor. Once I remove several undesirable elements from the HIVE, I'll have you by my side."

Aresia grew rigid. She remembered when Queen Bee offered her the second in command spot in the HIVE. She used her as bait to get to Alia.

Alia stepped to her.

"But, I need you to show me your loyalty. Show me how much you serve me, serve your Queen. Your new step-mother, because child, my union with Hippolyta allows me dominion over the Amazons."

Queen Bee stood up from the throne. She descended the steps and stood level with Alia. The woman touched a hand to Alia's shoulder. The touch allowed her a bit more of a pull in her mind.

"Drop to your knees and worship your Queen."

Alia kneeled before Queen Bee for a moment. Queen Bee turned her attention to Diana, Donna, and Kara.

"Alia understands obedience. And soon the rest of you will understand it as well."

Queen Bee turned around into a headbutt from Alia which caused her to fly head over heels to the ground. The monarch flew ass over tea kettle and landed with a thump on her ass.

Alia snapped her head around.

"Aresia, now!"

"Yes, Mistress!"

One snap of the chains freed Donna, Kara, and Diana from their bindings. Kara drilled one of the Amazons who charged them.

Queen Bee pushed herself from the ground. Blood dripped from her nose, which added to the furious anger the ruler of Biyala experienced. She turned to the HIVE agents.

"Get them!"

One of the HIVE agents spun around and knocked one of the rogue Amazons to the ground. Another rogue Amazon rushed the HIVE agent and engaged her in battle.

Queen Bee understood now more than ever Alia duped her. The Princess's cunning impressed Queen Bee as much as it angered her. The woman adjusted her nose in anger.

'_So, these rogue Amazons, are they….are they under her control?' _Donna asked. _'Because, I don't recognize any of them.'_

Diana and Kara teamed up to take down a pocket of the rogue Amazons. They channeled their full power in barreling down the Amazons.

'_No, they're women who left the island for one reason or another,' _Diana said. _'But, I can't be for sure if they're willing, or if Queen Bee manipulated them as much as she did Aresia.'_

'_Oh the bitch didn't need much manipulation!' _Donna yelled.

'_Donna, it's no way to talk….'_

'_No, Diana, she betrayed me, by trying to enslave our sister, I don't fucking get over it!' _Donna said.

She plowed into one of the Amazons, imagining Aresia's face in the place of the Amazon's. The woman's armor snapped.

'_Remember, don't aim to kill,' _Alia said.

'_Got the perfect thing, hope your ears are covered,' _Sara thought.

The sonic Canary Cry device fired off an attack. The rogue Amazons screamed in agony as an ear splitting charge bombarded them. The Amazons crumpled to the ground hard from the attack.

'_Well, it worked out well….and Queen Bee's getting away.'_

Sara's declaration brought Alia's attention to the HIVE member. She could not be allowed to leave the island.

Queen Bee smacked into a wall at the edge of another room. The wall created by one Circe.

"You will let me pass!" Queen Bee yelled.

"Oh, I've always wanted to say this!" Circe said. She took a deep breath. "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"

Hippolyta popped out from around the corner, without the necklace on her.

"How did you remove the necklace without destroying her?" Queen Bee demanded.

Circe barely avoided rolling her eyes.

"Goddess of magic, bitch!"

Hippolyta charged past Circe. She drilled Queen Bee in the mouth and caused her to crumple to the ground.

The Queen of the Amazon's yanked Queen Bee up by her hair and slammed her down upon the throne. In time for Artemis and the other Amazons to come to their senses, Hippolyta regained control of her people.

"But, you're not going to forget….all of the times we shared together, are you?" Queen Bee asked.

"Consider our marriage annulled," Hippolyta said. She rendered Queen Bee unconscious.

Artemis turned to Hippolyta. The two old friends locked eye to eye with each other for a moment. Finally, Hippolyta spoke.

"Escort her to the same dungeon where she imprisoned me. I'll figure out what to do with her later."

"I'll come with," Alia said.

"Yes, it would be wise," Hippolyta said. "I'm glad to see you Alia, I wished your return was under better circumstances."

Hippolyta swept Alia into a tight hug. Alia smiled and pulled away.

"Believe me, Mother, I do as well."

* * *

Queen Bee did not want to believe in irony until now. The irony of the situation resulted in her being imprisoned in the same dungeons where she kept her Queen pet. The woman wore cuffs which presented her from using her powers, a gift from Circe.

Circe and Queen Hippolyta working side by side, Queen Bee never expected this fact. She also never expected Princess Alia to make a deal with Ra's Al Ghul. Two variables she did not intend to utilize.

"I know you're out here. My country will not stand for this. When I do not return to address them as I do every week, they will come looking for me."

"They will only come looking for you if they see you're missing."

Hippolyta walked out of the shadows to face Queen Bee.

"I'd like to ask you if your accommodations are well. At this point, I find myself of limited sympathy with you, and your plight. Being enslaved does tend to jade a person."

"My people will come and find me, and when they do, they'll roll over the Amazons and I'll have the island regardless," Queen Bee said. "We could have done this the easy way….."

"You have confidence in your military, good, you should as your country's leader," Hippolyta said. "But make no mistake about it; I have confidence in mine, and what they are capable of. I have no worries they'll handle anything Biyala throws at us."

Queen Bee's expression took a turn for the stormy.

"Why would you work with someone like Darhk?"

"I don't have to answer your questions," Queen Bee said. "You lock me up like a common vandal."

Hippolyta closed the distance between herself and Queen Bee. The woman peered through the bars into the cage. Time stood still for a matter of seconds.

"It hurts when the shoe is on the other foot, doesn't it?"

Queen Bee's refusal to answer told Hippolyta all she wished to know about the entire deal. The monarch remained resolved in her answers.

"If you have any questions, you use up precious oxygen and waste precious time. I only will speak to Princess Alia. I have a few things I want to ask her."

"Good thing I'm here, because I have a few things to ask you as well."

Alia turned up, with Circe present.

"What's she doing here?"

"Well, the Princess is informed enough to have an attorney present during all dealings to ensure she doesn't say something she might regret," Circe said. "And it so happens I'm qualified in the matter."

Queen Bee folded her arms. She preferred the meeting between herself and the Princess be more among the one on one variety.

"I have one question to ask you."

"A question for me?" Alia asked. "I was under the impression I asked the questions of you."

"Well, you do, in a way," Queen Bee said. "But, why would you make a deal with the likes of Ra's Al Ghul? I thought you'd be better than someone to make a deal with a parasite like the Demon."

Alia leaned into the bars. Queen Bee met her eyes.

"I wondered the same thing about your relationship with Darhk. Or were you plotting the use the Amazons to overthrow HIVE?"

"Nothing lasts forever," Queen Bee said. "Darhk built his empire for many years and stayed one step ahead of Ra's Al Ghul. For me, the ends justify the means. But we have as much in common, don't we?"

The only answer Alia gave Queen Bee turned out to be a prompt and sullen folding of her arms. The monarch smiled at Alia's non-answer.

"You could be down in this cell for a very long time," Alia said. "And your people would never be the wiser."

Alia lifted up a portable device and showed images to Queen Bee of Queen Bee in the palace. She walked around, as servants bowed to her.

"Pretty good facsimile, isn't it?"

"How did you do this?" Queen Bee asked.

"The Society has resources, and it helps one of them can morph," Alia said. "But, we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way. The easy way is you give up information about Darhk to me."

Queen Bee refused to answer.

"I guess she wants to do things the hard way," Circe said.

"I hoped as much."

Queen Bee groaned as the one person she did not wish to see walked into grander proximity. Emma Frost approached Queen Bee with a smile on her face.

"So, you've done very good for yourself, Bee. But don't forget who put you on the throne in the first place?"

The two women stared each other down. Difficult to see which set of eyes showed a more burning level of hatred, but regardless Emma nudged Alia out of the way.

"You should be glad I'm here, and not Selene. Selene does not take too kindly to treason."

"I can tell you precisely where Darhk is, in exchange for my freedom," Queen Bee said.

The thought of Emma Frost poking around in her mind and doing God only knows what prompted Queen Bee to break.

"Oh, too bad, then," Emma Frost said.

"It's all I want," Alia said.

Emma leaned towards Queen Bee to give more final chilling warning.

"But remember, the price of deception is worth far more than your life. Remember when you give the information."

* * *

"And Darhk's secret base is heavily fortified and guarded….not a surprise."

Nyssa shook her head. She found little surprise of what Queen Bee told Alia.

"And how brazen could to be?" Talia asked. "To hide this close to our father's home….all this time, I can't believe our father did not know it."

"Did he know about it?" Sara asked.

Nyssa's eyes locked onto Sara's, giving the other girl some warning, and Sara slumped to the ground.

"Many members of the League followed Darhk out into the HIVE, so they will be well trained," Lady Shiva said.

"Well, given who are teacher is, so are we," Sara said.

Lady Shiva turned to the younger Lance sister with a predatory smile on her face.

"I appreciate the sentiments, but the next time we train, it will not get you off any easier."

Sara frowned. Nyssa cracked a grin at Sara's discomfort. Especially considering it came from the closet she ever knew Lady Shiva from cracking a joke. The oldest daughter of the demon leaned to Sara and pulled her in.

"Nice try, beloved."

Alia excused herself from the situation. She walked over and joined Donna and Diana to meet Hippolyta.

"Of all of the ways to come back to the island, it would have to be this one," Diana said. She blew a lock of dark hair away from her face. "I don't even know where to begin, do you?"

Hippolyta turned up. She finished a chat with Artemis. A few of the Rogue Amazons lingered around. The awkward interaction between the Amazons who remained on the island and the Amazons who left the island showed the bad blood which still occurred.

"Donna, Diana, and Alia, could you follow me?"

The three Princesses followed their mother.

"So, Circe informed me Lily woke up," Hippolyta said.

"Yes, and when she recovers, she wants to visit the island, you know outside of the temple of the Goddesses," Alia said.

Diana brushed off the fact her mother and Circe spoke civilly to zero in on another fact.

"What of the Goddesses? Why did they leave us?"

Hippolyta turned and placed her hand on the shoulder of the oldest.

"I understand your faith has been shaken, Diana. And I have questions. But I know all of them, Hera most of all, would not desert us without a good reason. They might have been unable to assist us for some reason. Some divine crisis cropping up at the worst time, or some other explanation. Circe could not even break down the barriers on the island."

Diana's frown deepened. A second mention of the woman's name prompted Diana to push on with all of the sophistication of a bull in a china shop.

"So, about Circe?" Diana asked.

"Circe and I….we have a common ground," Hippolyta said. "There are times we worked together in the past. We've clashed on an ideological level, for obvious reasons. But, now we had a common purpose."

"I guess the enemy of your enemy is your friend," Donna said.

Hippolyta turned to Alia for a brief second.

"I made a deal with Ra's Al Ghul to ensure I had allies to help storm the island, and take back control," Alia said.

"But, you didn't need to make the deal, because Circe helped the entire time!" Donna yelled.

"It wasn't for my benefit, really," Alia said. "Sara and Nyssa….I've added them to my collective, and…..them being in the League is a conflict of interest. What happens when Ra's orders them to do something which might harm me?"

"It depends on if their loyalty to you is stronger," Hippolyta said.

"It is," Alia said. "I bargained Ra's other daughter away from him."

"I approve."

The group turned around and noticed Circe appear on the island. Diana tensed up for a moment, but relaxed.

Circe saved her life, so perhaps she might ease up on the distrust a little bit. Until the moment where the goddess gave her reason to distrust, but Diana hoped it would never come.

"Well, you have control of your island, so I'll be departing now," Circe said. "Best of luck to you, Hippolyta. A deal's a deal, you have control, and I'm not to set foot on this island as long as you have control."

"Wait!"

Alia's questions disappeared on the tip of her tongue.

"I need to address the Amazons," Hippolyta said. "I'm sorry my time with you is cut so short."

"Hey, with great power, there must also come great responsibility," Donna said.

Hippolyta turned to her daughter for a second.

"A fitting lesson for all corners of life."

Hippolyta departed to address the Amazons. The Queen wished to convey to the outsider Amazons they would have sanctuary here always, if the outsiders changed their minds.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	46. Enemy of My Enemy

Week Four of the Chapter of the Week Poll is linked on my profile. So vote now. And now with the shameless shilling out of the way, on with our feature presentation.

* * *

**Chapter Forty-Five: Enemy of My Enemy.**

* * *

Alia stood at the edge of one of the dueling arenas on Themscrycira. She took in the full beauty and an entire breath full of sea air. The Amazon Princess never appreciated the island more until now. Absence made the heart yonder for more things. Despite the island being a temporary rest stop for the moment, Alia prepared for her next action.

The siege of Darhk's palace placed a little bit of pressure on her to succeed. She always took her word seriously. The word to Ra's to bring Darhk back in one piece, no different as far as Alia thought. The warrior woman placed her hands on the top of her head.

The wind blew in her face. Her hair hit her face.

'_I'm going to tell you the obvious,' _Diana said.

'_What, this won't be easy?' _Alia asked.

'_Well, goes without saying, doesn't it?' _Kara asked. _'If I know one thing though, Alia never does easy. She always does the best. Better than her best. Hope it works out this time, I really do.'_

'_As do I Kara,' _Alia thought. _'No room for failure in this mission. I'm going to head in there and attack. I have to get out of there. Not only is my fate on the island, but the fate of several other girls. I can get out of it myself. I'm more worried about what Ra's is going to do to my companions if I fail.'_

'_Don't worry about me,' _Sara said. _'Well, don't worry about either myself or Nyssa. We both knew what we signed up for. I can't speak for Cassandra, Shiva, or Talia, but Nyssa and I understand who we follow.'_

'_And we will follow you to the ends of the Earth,' _Nyssa said.

Alia smiled at Nyssa's words. Such a declaration meant everything to her. The Amazon Princess stretched. She reached to the pedestal beside her and practiced sword movements.

'_My father wants Darhk alive, if you didn't read between the lines,' _Nyssa said. _'And I'm sure someone of your intelligence may have read between the lines.'_

'_Yes, a little bit,' _ Alia thought. _'I wonder where this entire prophecy of the Dragon is going.'_

'_As you know, a prophecy is up for interpretation,' _Nyssa said. _'Prophecy is powered by those who believed in it. If no one believed in it, they're empty words. But, I suspect you know already.'_

Alia understood about the many flaws in prophecy. Her past life showed enough of them. Most prophecies became fulfilled by a paranoid individual who believed in them. They ended up screwing themselves over in the end.

The Amazon Princess practiced her sword movements. Not out of practice, but then again, why should she be?

'_The Dreaded Dragon will help lead the future leader of the League to a new age,' _Nyssa said. _'My father remains woefully rooted in his own past traditions. Time passed him by, and he's turned into a relic.'_

'_The moment he admits he's a relic, the happier he'll be.'_

Sara's words flowed through Alia's mind. Alia brought the point of the sword down. She thought the swings could be a little less ragged, and a bit more solid. The Warrior Princess drew back her blade for an instant.

"Mind if I join you?"

Cassandra stepped into the picture. Alia noticed how much Cassandra shifted into a scared young girl to a confidence young woman. The woman fastened on a piece of armor and a sword of her own lingered by her.

"Have at it."

The daughter of Lady Shiva crossed the path to Alia. The two stared each other down for the briefest of moments. Cassandra drew her sword and took a swing at Alia. The two swords clashed together with a clang. Neither women backed down when they fought each other.

"I figured you could do with sharpening your skills against an actual holder of a blade. And I want to make up for the many instances where you helped work me through issues. And maybe I can help you work through some of yours."

The two of them clung the blades together. Sparks shot in the air. Cassandra gained a more solid footing against her opponent. Alia pushed back.

Cassandra swept Alia's legs out from underneath her. Alia recovered quick enough to bounce back to her feet. The two women dueled with each other. The swords connected together with an increased fury.

"Not too bad," Cassandra said.

Alia drove Cassandra back a couple of steps and swept her legs down to the ground. The Warrior Princess pinned Cassandra down onto the ground, the blade at her throat. Alia's eyes flashed with determination.

Cassandra yielded underneath Alia's grip. The Warrior Princess stepped back and dropped her sword.

"Tense, much?" Cassandra asked.

"A little bit, yes," Alia said.

Cassandra smiled and slipped behind Alia. Not for the attack, but to slowly roll her hands down the shoulders of the Warrior Princess.

"You have tension? I can help you out with your tension a little bit. You shouldn't have it, should you?"

The Asian's hands rolled down Alia's shoulders. The woman felt pleasure for a little bit.

"Why don't you take your clothes off and lie down? I can get better coverage."

Alia stripped off her armor and her under clothes. Cassandra eyed her gorgeous body. The two entered a hut over to the side.

A bed waited for them. Alia plopped chest down on the bed. Cassandra joined her, and ran her hands over Alia's back and shoulders.

"My hands are skilled at bringing pleasure, as bringing death. I'm now of sound mind enough for me to thank you for helping me. And I think it would be rude for me not to thank you, would it?"

"Yes," Alia said.

Cassandra's hands worked down past Alia's back. The skilled warrior started to rub the back of her legs, and ease between her inner thighs.

The heat pulsing from between Alia's thighs pleased Cassandra Cain. Especially given the fact she caused it.

"I think I better delve deeper for the source of your tension."

* * *

The combined Phoenix Entity rested from the gruesome ordeal she went through. Lily stood outside the door and peered through the edge of the door. Her daughter from another universe, well partially, looked to be in a fatigued state.

'_Boy, do I ever know the feeling.'_

Footsteps approached from behind her. Selene and Rowena approached the room as well. Both of them engaged in some deep conversation with each other. A moment passed before they noticed Lily.

"I see you're in far better spirits these days," Rowena said.

"Much better," Lily said. "Coming back from the dead took a lot out of me, you know."

"It can take a lot out of anyone," Selene said. She placed her hand on Lily's shoulder. "But, you're on the mend, aren't you?"

"Yes, and….well charm work still fatigues me, so I'm not one hundred percent yet," Lily said. "But as long as I don't do magic, I'm fine."

"I'd recommend you holding off on any magic for another week or so," Rowena said. "At least active magic. I understand passive magic cannot be helped in some instances."

"Right," Lily said.

She recalled all of the instances in passive/accidental magic. How many of them came about because Petunia annoyed her? Lily laughed in amusement.

"I want your opinion on something," Rowena said.

Lily's eyebrow rose. Shock described what she experienced quite nicely. Actually, a bit flattered come to think of it as well. Rowena Ravenclaw, the godmother of all magic in Europe, wished to have her opinion about something.

As someone how acquired a high opinion of themselves, Lily's ego jumped a little bit.

'_Wonderful, we'll not be able to fit your head through the door,' _Rose said.

Lily, Rowena, and Selene entered a lavish study. The three of them settled down. A servant brought them some tea, so they settled in.

"Don't worry, I didn't poison it," Selene said. Rowena and Lily stared at the Black Queen. "What, a bit too soon?"

"Just a little bit," Lily said.

"Yes, Selene, although thanks for lightening the mood," Rowena said. "And I detected poison detection charms, and you're telling the truth."

"You don't trust me?" Selene asked.

Rowena laughed and took the tea up to her lips. She smiled when sipping on the tea.

"So, we're thinking of a way to divide the Phoenix entity into three separate components," Rowena said.

Lily raised an eyebrow. Curiosity hit her in the hardest manner. She leaned on in for a moment.

"Tell me more?""

"Well, Jaime and Jean and the Phoenix all wish to be their own separate entities," Rowena said. "And you can't blame them, can you?"

"No, given how crowded three people in one body can be, I don't blame her," Lily said. "Do you think the Phoenix could be gifted her own vessel independent from Jaime and Jean?"

"Magic makes anything possible," Rowena said. "It's worth a shot. There's a problem though."

"With complex magic rituals, isn't there always a problem?" Lily asked.

Rowena laughed. One thing she learned during her time, magic always had potential side effects. Especially if less than skilled individuals performed rituals which resulted in a fair amount of power; Rowena experienced many instances of people botching and botching with style.

"We can't do it anywhere on Earth," Rowena said.

'_Where do you need me to be?'_

The combined Phoenix Force Entity entered the room. Rowena's eyes fixed on her. Someone else joined them. Karen shuffled into the room from behind them, arms folded underneath her chest to stick it out further when she walked.

"Jaime, you should be resting," Karen said.

"I grew restless," Jaime said.

Jean's voice switched on in a moment later.

"Plus, if our future is on the line, don't you think we should get a bit of a vote?"

Everyone around the room looked at the combined entity. Rowena summoned two more chairs, one for the entity, and one for Karen.

"We intended to come with you with the proposal of what to do next. But you being here is going to make things a lot easier on us."

"We're glad," the three of them said in unison.

The voices echoed and resulted in a creepy overlay between the three parties.

"To separate you properly, you need to be transported to an unoccupied world," Rowena said. "And from there, we can perform a ritual to divide you into three separate bodies."

"Resulting in hot red headed triplets," Karen said. "I like the plan so far."

"I like it as well," Jaime said.

"The problem is finding a place remote enough to pull off the separation," Selene said.

Karen held up the portable device Kara and Harry gifted her with.

"Perhaps I can be of some assistance," Indigo said. "When my programming corrupted….I took inventory of dead spots in the universe while having caused more than a few on my own."

"It would be of some help," Selene said.

A solid lead resulted in them moving forward. The Black Queen's hopes everything turned out for the better increased.

"Do you want me to be with you?" Karen asked.

"I'd like it if you were," Jaime said. "Things might get a little bit sticky, you know, once I break free."

"We better be ready for this," Jean said. "Are we in this today?"

'_The two of you have no arguments from me,' _the Phoenix thought.

* * *

Alia woke up after her session with Cassandra. She took a couple of minutes to figure out her surroundings.

'_Olympus.'_

She entered the domain of the goddesses. The same goddesses who took an exit stage right when Queen Bee and their forces invaded Themscrycira. Alia folded her arms.

'_Better have a good explanation, goddesses or not.'_

Hera approached Alia in the distance. The woman's sophistication always took Alia aback.

"I believe you want an explanation, and we have it. There are other forces at work beyond Queen Bee and the HIVE."

Alia didn't like how grim Hera looked. Any attempts to interrogate the Queen of the Goddesses fell on deaf ears. Deep down, Alia always knew if the goddesses didn't intervene.

"In some ways, the trials on the island needed to pass without our hand. But, it went on too far due to our attention being diverted. And I'm sorry you needed to make the deal you needed to tip the scales."

Alia did not need to ask Hera how she knew of the deal. The goddess's ability to know everything due to being a goddess resulted in Alia dipping her head.

The Amazon and the Goddess joined each other on a park bench.

"The gods of Olympics in many circles are considered to be ancient. Many civilizations in the world still follow us and worship us, but other belief systems popped up. Some of them more out there and others, some based on a reality, other's based on pure blind fate. But, regardless, there are other pantheons of gods who exist in the world and beyond."

"Other worlds would have their own religions," Alia said.

"Your mate Kara's goddess of Rao is very real, as are several others," Hera said. "As you know through experience and your teaching, not all gods are benevolent. Some lord over the people who worship them. And some are downright evil, taking the worship to twist their own people into evil actions."

Hera adopted the mode of a teacher. Not nearly as good as Athena as being a teacher, who took the career as a day job in the mortal world.

"A group of gods rose up in a distant galaxy. These new gods lived closer to the people. But, they were divided on how to go about interacting with them. One group of gods favored a peaceful approach. One group of gods lusted after darkness and despair. The Supreme Creator decided to split the planet in half, so each group of gods ruled in their separate ways. The benevolent half of this divide is called New Genesis, and the evil half of the divide is dubbed Apokolips."

Alia leaned in to listen to Hera's story. Part of it were not completely foreign to her, best she reconciled.

"The mighty and kind High Father led the people of New Genesis. The demonic Darkseid brought the people of Apokolips underneath his cruel thumb. He created an army which enslaved many other worlds and expanded his empire. A war between New Genesis and Apokolips occurred. A swap of the sons of Darkseid and High Father only eased the tension in recent years."

Hera paused to allow Alia to sink in.

"In recent time, another powerful force banished Darkseid to another realm. His physical body may be destroyed, but his cruel spirit lingers on."

"So, do you think he's trying to come back?" Alia asked.

"Yes, not only do I think he's coming back," Hera said. "But I sense the presence of his agents. All of them powerful gods in their own right. They released several of the prisoners on Olympus in an attempt to distract us."

"So, they're working with the HIVE?" Alia asked.

Hera's hand reached underneath her chin. The Queen of the Goddess flipped her hair back and spent the next few seconds looking thoughtful.

"Working for the HIVE, perhaps," Hera said. "The more logical explanation is Darkseid's using the HIVE. If he's around, HIVE may have gotten some advanced weapons. It wouldn't be the first time Darkseid armed a radical group to do his dirty work. Be on your guard Princess, you may be fighting your gravest challenge."

"Don't worry, I will be," Alia said.

The goddess looked down at the Princess like she might a favored daughter.

"Even though Darkseid's imprisoned, his agents still remain loyal to him, and are looking for the proper vessel to channel his return. Remain guarded for everything. And I'll see you again soon."

"I'm leaving now?"

Hera placed her hand on Alia's shoulder.

"I need to oversee the royal tower being reconstructed. And extend your sisters my apologies. And I'll extend you my luck in your upcoming battle. May good fortune shine upon you."

Hera swept down to plant a soft kiss on Alia. A blessing from such a goddess heightened Alia's spirits for the battle ahead.

Alia returned to her position. Cass rested in the bed. A soft knock on the door brought Alia further out of dreamland.

"Alia?"

"Yes, Sara?"

"Is everything okay? I saw a lot of bright lights in there."

"An old friend stopped by to visit me, and….she likes to make an entrance," Alia said. "It's fine now. You should get some sleep. We're storming Darhk's base in three hours, you know."

"Finding it kind of hard to sleep with the mission, but….I'll see you in a little bit."

Alia smiled and slipped back underneath the covers, back into a restful night's sleep. Cassandra frowned in sleep, but did not wake up. Alia wrapped her arms around Cass to turn the girl into a content smile.

* * *

The ravishes of aging visited Ra's Al Ghul many times during his reign. He sought the perfect heir. One of his daughters betrayed him by seeking a relationship with the same sex. Ra's wouldn't be nearly as bothered by it, had Nyssa married a worthy successor and bore a child. Once a male child had been born into the line, a worthy one, Ra's cared little about who is daughter sought relations with.

Talia's luck with the Detective went south. Especially given the Dragon staked her claim to both of his daughters, corrupting Talia like Sara corrupted Nyssa.

Ra's lifted his head up. Footsteps announcing the arrival of a visitor, and the Demon turned his head to peer out.

A robed figure entered the room. Ra's recalled his business contacts. The Demon rose to his feet. The tired expression he wore moments ago faded.

"What do you have to report to me, Desaad?"

Desaad lowered his head for a second to bow at Ra's. Did his bow mock the Demon? Ra's could not determine if he did for certain.

"The HIVE lost control of the Amazons, although word has not reached Darhk's eyes about Queen Bee's failure. He prepares for war against you."

"A war which he will fail, because he will never make it to me," Ra's said. "The Amazon Princess will deliver him to me."

"You seem confident in her ability to locate Darhk when you yourself have failed?"

"I have not failed," Ra's said. He stood up to his full height. "Let me make something clear, I have not failed. He lingers close, but he's well protected. The Dragon's power is enough to breach the defenses."

Desaad hung his head down, frowning.

"Naturally, Great One, please forgive me regarding my assumption you failed. And I have to tell you despite Queen Hippolyta regaining control of the Amazons, the seeds of mistrust have been laid."

"The Amazons being divided play into my plans nicely," Ra's said. "It's time for HIVE to be ended, and your master will receive what he wants, as terms of our agreement."

"Excellent. I'm glad you understood the terms of our agreement, and you understand we'll all be getting what's coming to us."

"I couldn't agree more."

Ra's tone showed he understood more than he let on. Dessaad's ambition clouded his judgment. The plan to bring his master back brewed in the works for a long time.

Desaad tested the waters by masterminding the Sons of Zeus. Not the most difficult task in the world to stir up someone like Maxie Zeus. His grip on reality often proved to be a tenuous one at best. Desaad didn't need to push him into full on psychosis as much as given the man one last careful nudge over the edge.

'_My master will return, and I'll prove to be his most loyal servant. Even stronger than Granny and her army of harlots. They do not have the loyalty I do.'_

Ra's looked into the face of pure evil. Some mistook Ra's Al Ghul for pure evil. Evil tasks often proved to be the gateway to goals being achieved. But, Ra's never considered himself to be evil. He's a man who accomplished his tasks out of pure necessity, nothing more, and nothing less.

The invention of necessity drove every single goal the man had.

'_To destroy a dragon, a deal with the devil must be made.'_

Desaad stood before Ra's self-assured. The man no doubt planned to stab Ra's in the back when it suited him well.

The Demon noticed one flaw in the plan. Ra's Al Ghul lived for a good long time, maybe not as long as a god, but through his long life deception visited him around every corner.

'_Let him try his doomed plans. His master's power is the type of element I need to survive. The Pits work less with each passing session. The power of a god removes such a drawback.'_

"So, what now?" Desaad asked.

"Be patient and wait," Ra's said.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	47. HIVE Mind

**Chapter Forty-Six: HIVE Mind.**

* * *

Alia gathered up her group of Nyssa, Cass, Shiva, Talia, and Sara. The six of them arrived outside of the fortress. Queen Bee's words proved to be accurate. The handsome and extremely high tech Fortress greeted the six of them. Alia peered over her shoulder to Talia, who stared back at her.

"Well, you're the one leading this mission. The next move is yours, isn't it?"

Alia collected her thoughts. The front entrance looked to be the straightest forward path inside the base. Very few guards around, or so it appeared, but Alia leaned in. An energy wave emitting from the archway leading into the building made Alia think twice about using this particular method to get inside.

"To the right, and go around," Alia said.

Sara thought about it for a moment, and understood Alia's strategy. The woman followed Alia, Nyssa followed Sara, and the rest of the women followed them. A domino effect happened with Alia making her way to the front entrance.

"The moment we pass through these doors, you better be ready to fight," Alia said.

"Do not insult me," Lady Shiva said.

Alia turned around to one of the most deadly women on Earth. Her lips curled into a knowing smile and leaned on in.

"Believe me, furthest from my intention to insult you, dear Lady Shiva. And I know you're ready to fight. You're always ready to fight."

"Yes, I am," Lady Shiva said.

"I understand what you're doing, and it won't work. You're doomed to fail, like the master you served."

Sara stood up straight in surprise. Nyssa's expression shifted from surprise to an expression of the greatest of distaste in a moment. Her lips curled, along with her fist for a second. Flickered through her eyes.

"Darhk, he speaks," Sara said.

"Yes, he does, and I wish he didn't," Nyssa said.

"Yes, you arrive in an attempt to stall my plans, but you cannot stall the inevitable. The great Ra's Al Ghul failed to kill me."

"My father chose not to kill you," Nyssa said.

Darhk's laughter echoed for a few seconds.

"Is this the explanation he chose to give you? Interesting how he's protecting his legacy to his daughter. And interesting how you intend to protect his legacy, Nyssa Al Ghul. After all, he intends to kill you for the company you keep. So you have nothing left to lose, don't you?"

Several buzzing drones appeared in front of them. Alia turned to them.

'_Good, something to do other than hear him rattle on about what he intends to go. I'm glad, I grow tired of hearing someone monologue.'_

Alia whirled her fist around. The drone directed into the path of one of her fists. Alia smashed the drone to bits. Several bits shot up in the air and started to fly in every direction.

The Warrior Princess's eyes narrowed, and a smile crossed her face.

Lady Shiva, looking less impressed with HIVEs, attack force, drew her blade. She sliced the drones with everything she had. The buzzing dropped them down to the ground.

"Yes, we can break a bunch of machines."

Cass flung a dagger. She wiped three of them out in one shot.

"Not bad," Lady Shiva said. "But you should have taken out the fourth while you were at it."

Sara launched herself on top of the drone, busting it to bits. Sparks and jagged metal flung to the ground.

"For Lady Shiva, it's glowing praise," Sara said. "Don't worry, you're doing well."

Cass didn't say anything. She watched where Alia took out the drones with graceful agility. The Amazon bounced from one drone to the next, wiping them out with swift precision, and causing their destruction with a fluid movement.

The drones dropped to the ground. The League stood and stepped into the complex.

Drones gave way to more drones. The human variety of drones replaced the machines. All of them stepped to draw their weapons. Dozens of drones swarmed around the members of the League.

"Really?" Nyssa said.

"The odds are a bit skewed," Sara said.

She smiled and pressed in a button on her Canary cry device. An entire wave of drones dropped to the ground, suffering a sudden bout of dizziness. One of them looked about ready to slam his head on the ground.

Nyssa rushed in, sword blazing. One of them tried to block her blade shot. The daughter of the Demon adapted to their attacks by sweeping underneath the drone's leg. Nyssa grabbed her enemy by the arm and twisted it. Crack echoed, and Nyssa drove the enemy down by the arm.

The daughter of the demon flipped into the air. Her blade extended forward as she ruptured one of the parts of the armor, revealing the flesh.

Alia evaded a punch of a rather large punch from HIVE goon. The HIVE goon smashed into the wall and grimaced. The warrior princess waist locked him, and drove him down with a huge suplex. The goon landed on the back of his head.

"I grow tired of these games, Darhk. Stop hiding behind your goons!"

Alia's words fell upon deaf ears. The same words fired back at her with equally mocking laughter.

"Really? Well, Ra's Al Ghul and myself, we have much more in common than we can believe. I suspected Queen Bee would betray me, and I made plans. I'm one step ahead, I'm always one step ahead."

"Well, let me allow you to help you take the final step, into the grave."

Talia dodged one of the electrified brass knuckles shot from one of the goons. The goon smashed his fist into the panel, and the electrical discharge knocked him back onto the ground. Talia put her foot into the back of the goon's neck.

"Which way?"

"North wing!" Alia said.

"There's the largest concentration of drones in the North Wing!" Nyssa yelled.

She sliced her way through the goons and continued their path to their destination.

"Exactly."

* * *

Felicity reclined in the hotel room in Vegas, a couple of days before Alison's Blaire's opening night. Normally not her kind of music, but she found Alison's style kind of endearing. Mostly because Felicity found Alison kind of endearing; the girl's personality bubbled over into excitement.

'_Knowing her as a person helps a lot, doesn't it? Of course it does.'_

Zatanna joined Felicity and Alison with the three of them sitting around in the room.

"Thank you for opening up for me," Alison said.

"Hey, it's Vegas, Vegas is almost a second home to me," Zatanna said. "I remember going on tour with my father after my mother died. He opened up in front of some of the most skeptical crowds, but by the end of the night, he made them believe in magic."

"Your father was really good, wasn't he?" Alison asked.

Zatanna nodded her head, placing her hand on the pop star's shoulder.

"Yes, really good, almost like magic. Actually not almost like magic, he really performed his spells. And he taught me almost everything I learned."

"Almost everything?" Felicity asked.

"I picked up a couple of things he never fully mastered," Zatanna said.

"He must have been proud," Felicity said.

"Oh, he would have been proud, had he lived long enough to see it," Zatanna said. "But, I'm sure wherever he is right now, he's smiling, glad at how far I've gone."

"I know he is," Alison said.

Alison turned around, feeling a jump in her gut. She closed her eyes and mentally counted to ten before returning to the conversation.

"What's the problem?" Felicity asked. Alison shook her head. "Oh, you've got…butterflies in your stomach."

"Yes, a little bit," Alison said. "Butterflies with big wings who are threatening to beat my stomach into paste. I can't believe I'm going out there. What am I thinking?"

"Well, I can't really tell you I understand what you're going through because I kind of don't," Felicity said. She leaned in and placed her hand on Alison's shoulder. "I'd tell you to imagine everyone in their underwear….but for some people, you'd get distracted imagining them in their underwear. And for other people, you really don't want to imagine them in their underwear, well…..I'm not sure if I ever got the point of her voice."

"You're babbling," Alison said.

"Yes, I babble a lot," Felicity said. "Almost all of the time, well not all the time, but enough to make a really awkward conversation. Which is kind of what I'm doing now, isn't it?"

"Yes, a little bit," Alison said. She touched her pinky to her forefinger to demonstrate for Felicity how awkward she made the conversation. "But, hey, it's done wonders in loosening me up a little bit."

Surprise flashed through Felicity's eyes. For a second, Alison's praise rendered her speechless.

"Hey, I'm really glad my running off of the mouth finally helps someone and doesn't want to make them bash their head against a wall."

Alison shook her head. Hard not to laugh at the adorkable girl before her. Felicity did a wonderful job in lightening the mood and easing her tension.

"Don't worry, relax, you'll do great," Zatanna said.

The sorceress squeezed the pop star's shoulder. The two of them met with a kiss for a brief second. The brief kiss did the intended job of relaxing Alison. The pop star faded off with a grin on her face.

"I'm glad you think a lot of me, but…."

The door opened. Gwen entered the room to join them.

"Hope you don't mind I crash here, Alia said I could."

"Oh, we know, and we don't mind," Zatanna said. "You look pretty dead on your feet."

Gwen sank down on the bed next to Zatanna.

"I look it, feel it, but on the bright side, I tracked down the entire stolen OZ3 shipment. Every single vial present and accounted for."

"HIVE gave up the chemicals easily, didn't they?" Felicity asked.

"I'm not even sure if they wanted the chemicals in the first place," Gwen said. "I'm not completely sure about it, but the shipment truck might have been a method to distract Alia from their liberation of Themscrycira."

"Speaking of the liberation of the Amazons, I wonder how it went?" Felicity asked. "None of you have heard anything."

The girls shook their heads. Seconds after the girls shook their heads, Donna burst through the door.

"Okay, everything's okay, the Amazons are safe, a bit tense, but they're safe."

"Good, to know," Zatanna said. "Where's Alia?"

"She's fulfilling her end of the bargain with Ra's Al Ghul," Donna said.

"Are we sure making a deal with someone like Ra's is a good idea?" Gwen asked.

Donna shook her head and took another seat.

"Good idea, maybe not, but Alia has a plan. I figured I'd let you know they're storming Darhk's base now."

Donna's news gave the girls something else to concern themselves with, but what could they do at this point? The bond traffic reached a bit out of range.

* * *

Alia dodged an electrified chain shot from a device of one of the HIVE drones. The Warrior Princess raised her blade. A hacking motion disabled the chain. The goon staggered back, in time for the woman to nail him with an uppercut to the chest.

Kara, who hovered, close by, broke into the bond link.

'_You've been fighting through how many levels, for how long?' _Kara asked.

'_Long enough, and too many,' _Alia said.

Out of the corner of her eye, more HIVE goons dropped like flies around them. Alia rushed the goons and plowed one of them into the wall with an immense force. The goon folded up like a piece of paper when he dropped to the ground.

'_Scary thought,' _Kara said. _'What if Darhk's not anywhere in the base?'_

Alia considered the thought well. Her hand clenched against the throat of the goon. The goon slid to the ground the moment Alia released his neck.

'_Don't think I haven't considered the possibility.'_

Alia muscled one of the goons onto her shoulder's into a fireman's carry. She used the man's own body as a weapon. His mass being one of the larger drones deposited the goon down onto his fellow goons. He crashed onto them with a loud crash.

The Princess of the Amazons took half of a step back to survey the situation around her.

'_But, you don't think he's left, have you?' _Kara asked.

'_Stay in position, love, and keep your cool,' _Alia thought. _'If I told you once, I've told you a thousand times, I've got a plan'_

Alia gripped one of the goons around the head. She held onto the goons head, before running him head long into the wall. The goon's face crushed up against the wall. Blood dripped down the wall when Alia pulled away.

Talia observed Alia, impressed. She spun around, to put a blade into the chest of the abdomen of one of the HIVE goons. His armor's weak spot exploited, Talia ripped it out, with a grenade stuck to her sword.

She spun around, slamming the grenade into the stomach of one of the goons. A shower of blood and guts sprayed the HIVE goons, distracting them.

Arrows pierced the necks of the HIVE goons. They dropped to the ground with blood spraying out of the back of their neck.

"He's in the center of the HIVE."

Alia pushed herself past one of them. One of them tried to nail Alia with an electrified steel rod. She arched her back to avoid it. She flipped into the air with a Pele Kick to catch the goon behind him. Alia pivoted on her feet to avoid the goon. Grabbing his arm, she slammed him to the ground.

Nyssa filled the air with smoke. The Daughter of the Demon dragged one of them into the smoke and picked him off with a series of violent stabs.

"Go, where you need to go!"

Lady Shiva stopped two of the HIVE goons from taking Alia down. Alia and Cass slipped into the shadows.

The two girls ran head long into a hooded figure. The figure bowed before them, a small smirk appearing underneath his hood.

"Damien Darhk, I presume," Alia said.

"You presumed correctly. And well done, you found me, but can you keep me."

Darhk pressed in a button on his sleeve. He divided into half. The halves divided into half, and they kept divided until dozens of Damien Darhk clones circled them.

"Well, congratulations, you can multiply," Alia said.

"I prefer division," Cass said.

Cass used her sword to hack one of the Darhk's in half. The man faded into the ether, blood splattering from Cass bringing the blade down.

"Not the real deal," Cass said.

Alia blocked the sword swings from two of them. The girl kept hacking her way into them.

The blades ripped through the clones, mist appearing in the air.

Alia hurled a crystal device into the air. The device exploded on the ground, releasing a yellow fluid on the ground.

"And I'm disappointed you didn't accomplish anything."

'_Okay Kara, I'm in position, are you?'_

'_Right here,' _

A beam of intense heat amplified by the high-tech honeycomb windows above blasted into the ground. Intense flames shot out from the ceiling. Cass slipped out of the exit to allow Alia to deal with this.

"What's the matter, Darhk, can't stand the heat?"

Darhk's duplicates started to fade. He diverted the power to a heat shield, thus preventing him from utilizing too many of the duplicates.

Alia stepped straight through the fire, without any fear.

"And it's poetic, today, the HIVE goes up in flames, with you in the center."

"You can't…Ra's Al Ghul has told you lies!" Darhk yelled. "Without the HIVE, he has no purpose. Without men, he didn't become the leader he should have been."

Four Darhk's stood in a row. Alia noticed the energy signature pulsing from the Darhk in the center.

One punch knocked his lights out. The Darhk fell down to the ground.

Super breath put out the remainder of the fire, in time for Alia to wrap up Darhk, as a present for the Demon.

The leader of the HIVE fell not with a bang, but with a whimper.

* * *

Ra's Al Ghul sat perched in his throne in the temple. The doors swung open and the guards parted. Princess Alia stepped to him, with Damien Darhk being dragged before his feet, and thrown down beside in chains.

"Our end of the bargain has concluded," Alia said.

Ra's raised his eyebrow and rose to his feet. He stepped down and pulled back Darhk's hood. Ra's stared at the man for a good long second before pulling back.

"Very good, you've brought me the real deal. Many fail in determining the real Damien Darhk. Very few see his face in light. You've succeeded in driving forth your end of the bargain."

Alia folded her arms. She waited for the other shoe to drop. Anything Ra's threw at her, Alia prepared for it.

"Go ahead, and bask in your moment of triumph. You've done something where many few have dreamed to accomplish. You've removed a thorn from my side which I assumed would remain there."

Alia folded her arms. She turned and prepared to walk off.

"There is one more thing before you step out of those doors."

The princess stopped for a second. The other shoe she expected to drop may have dropped and dropped hard.

Alia turned upon her heel, and leaned to come face to face with the Demon. Both Alia and Ra's locked eyes for a few seconds, neither saying anything to the other.

"Many second guessed their allegiance to the League of Assassins. The only way to depart from the League is through death, or a trial by combat. Those who betray me are met without mercy."

Alia refused to blink as she looked back at the Demon.

"Go for it, handle the lover's spat between you and Darhk. I won't stop you. Kill him, you'll be doing the world a great service."

After the role Darhk played in trying to enslave her sisters, Alia refused to speak up for the man.

"Oh, believe me, I will kill Darkh for all of the crimes he committed against the League of Assassins and the entire world. But, it's not Darhk who I'm referring to who should be punished for his crimes."

Alia wondered who Ra's spoke of. The Demon rose to his feet. His full height put himself within an inch of Alia's.

"I refer to my daughter Nyssa. She betrayed me with the path she chose."

"You're going to kill your own daughter for following her heart?" Alia asked.

"I'm not referring with the distasteful union she kept," Ra's said. "I'm referring to the fact she chose the Dragon over me. And she will pay with her life. If she tries to run the League will hunt her down to the ends of the Earth, along with her beloved."

"No, I won't let you hurt anyone."

Ra's gaze raked over Alia's face. The Demon's mouth curled into a knowing smile as he leaned on in.

"You won't, will you? I know you won't, because you're an Amazon. You will not allow any harm to come to any female, will you?"

A feeling of despair sank into the pit of Alia's stomach.

"You came here along these evening, not out of foolish bravery, not out of confidence I would not kill you, but because you didn't want any of your lovers to be harmed. It only bought them precious more hours, maybe days, of their life, but they will be killed. One by one, they will pay for choosing to be loyal to you."

Ra's withdrew his sword, but Alia did the same. Both of them squared off.

"You may have trained among gods and goddesses, but I've honed my abilities for centuries. I'll offer you two options."

Alia stared her foe down. Tension rose in her chest, clutching her heart. The warrior princess locked eyes with the most dangerous man on Earth. His terrifying power gripped Alia hard and fast.

The warrior princess refused to bow before his might, even if she respected his abilities. She hated his attitude, but she respected his abilities.

"Join the League, or die in Nyssa's place."

Alia stared Ra's in the eye without blinking.

"Do you really want to incur a war with the Amazons? Kill me, and all of them hunt you to the ends of the Earth, and they won't be the only ones either."

Ra's chuckled at Alia's words. He leaned in closer to the warrior princess.

"I now have powerful allies. I no longer fear the Amazons. They will die at my feet or learn their place as well."

The League members formed a barrier around Alia to prevent her from attacking Ra's out right.

'_If I'm going to kill him, I'm going to take them all out.'_

"So, what's it going to be?"

Alia opened her mouth to make her decision.

"WAIT!"

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	48. Blood Quest

**Chapter Forty-Seven: Blood Quest. **

* * *

The yell turned the eyes of the League members, Ra's, and Alia towards the archway. A scant number of torches illuminated the archway. They could only barely see the black-clad figure who approached them. The swords of the nearest League guards drew and one of them leaned into the doorway.

The figure made a swift movement. She withdrew a blade of her own. One swipe sent the blade cracking into the sword of the nearest man. A second swipe resulted into a diagonal switpe of the blade. The assassin staggered for a moment, before collapsing to his knees in pain. The assassin finished up her work by burying her foot in the wounded chested of her enemy. With one push, the assassin kicked her enemy over. The enemy landed onto the ground.

Nyssa stepped over the wounded body of the assassin. More of them withdrew their swords and directed them at the Daughter of the Demon. She stood, without fear, and motioned for them to come to her, to fight her. Dark hair draped over her face. The woman took another step to them like a woman possessed.

"Stand down."

Ra's Al Ghul descended from his throne. The robes billowed behind the Demon. He stepped down, bringing his foot down upon a stick on the ground with a crack. The gesture directed the attention of more of the League members of the Demon.

Alia wondered what Nyssa was doing. The daughter of the demon knew the instant she stepped into this temple, she'd be subject to execution. Alia vowed to bare the burdens of all of the women, and take down the League of Assassins from within.

Only, Nyssa disagreed with these plans. Ra's bent down and cupped his daughter's chin roughly. More swords drew at the back of her head.

Alia stepped to the side, and started to withdraw her blade in an attempt to jump in for the save. Nyssa's mouthed the word "no", and Alia fell back.

"My daughter, I never questioned your nerve, although perhaps your nerve is coupled with foolishness."

Nyssa's eyes burned with hatred as they fixated upon her father's face. The Demon did not blink in the face of his daughter.

"It's not foolishness. It's doing the right thing. And doing the right thing is coming to face my destiny, and pay for what I've done."

Ra's released his daughter's chin. He did not once stop paying attention to the position of the Warrior Princess. The Dragon's abilities utilized to a certain extent could be fairly formidable.

"Oh, and the right thing?" Ra's asked. "I've allowed you much, Nyssa, but you continue to betray everything I stand for. And you've brought your sister into harm's way."

"No, I saved, Talia," Nyssa said. "You don't see us as your children, you see us as your pawns."

For a brief moment, Nyssa braced herself for her father raising his hand to strike her. The attack never came. Ra's fist clenched.

Alia watched for the attack too. If the Demon put his hands on one of her women, the Warrior Princess intended to remove his head from his shoulders. Even if she had to kill every single League member loyal to him to do so.

"I see you're too far gone," Ra's said. "So, you've come here to protect the Dragon."

"She doesn't need any protecting from you," Nyssa said. "You've turned soft….case in point."

She turned to a bound Damien Darhk, who still slumped in the chambers. With lightning quick precision, Nyssa withdrew her blade, and hacked into Darhk's chest. A splatter of blood emitted from his chest.

Ra's Al Ghul watched his daughter remove his chance at redemption by killing his enemy, something which should only be done with his own blade. He reached for his daughter, but thought better of it.

"You shouldn't have killed him, Nyssa. You should know the laws of the League."

"Oh, I believe I know the laws of the League," Nyssa said. "You intend to expel me from the League, and hunt me down to the ends of the Earth, along with Sara, and anyone else I align myself with, don't you?"

The torches flickered into the temple. The terrifying glimpse of the twisted form of Ra's face showed to be enough to send shivers down a person's spine.

Nyssa refused to blink. She refused to bend, or refused to back off.

Alia shivered for a few seconds. She found herself in the midst of a battle of wills. The other League members around her, despite being hardened assassins with all emotions removed, stepped back as well.

"You know the rules, and you know the law of the League."

Ra's voice cut through the silence. Nyssa clenched her hand around the sword. She thought about attacking her father for a brief second.

"Attack me, because I will feel better in killing you by my own hand."

Nyssa dropped to her knees and dropped the sword to the ground.

"I want them to see you kill your daughter on her knees like the coward you are. You'll be forever be the vilest being in the history of the world."

Ra's clenched his sword for a moment. He studied the look on his daughter's face.

"I never thought you'd want to die on your knees before another man, even your father."

"You don't have to do this, Nyssa," Alia said.

"Alia, I know what I'm doing," Nyssa said. She rose from her knees, to her feet. "But, you know of another option, based on the laws of the League. I'm owed a trial by combat, against you."

Ra's paused for the most scant of seconds. His gaze penetrated his daughter's eyes. Seconds shifted into minutes the longer he stared her down.

The scene around the temple grew silent. No one dared even breath until the Demon made his answer clear. Even Alia stood rigid, wondering if Nyssa bit off more than she could chew.

Finally, the Warrior Princess broke the silence, speaking up. There's no way she could allow this trial by combat to occur.

"Nyssa, I cannot…"

"Alia, it's not what you cannot allow, it's what must happen, "Nyssa said. "My father disrespected me by his continued search for an heir, despite the fact I'm willing and able to take over his operations should he pass. And it's getting closer to the instant, isn't it, Father?"

Ra's never once blinked. The other League members closed ranks around him. One steely gaze from the demon brought them back into line. They all bowed down before battle.

"You think you have a chance in beating me in battle?" Ra's asked.

The words rolled from his tongue as if they were some foreign oddity. He ran his tongue in his mouth as if testing the words.

"I have to defeat you in battle. I have to earn my right as the Head of the League of Assassins."

Ra's dropped his gaze to his daughter. Everyone else in the room didn't matter at this point. He crossed the room and touched his hand to her shoulder.

"And what makes you think I won't slay you where you stand?"

His question cut through the air like a knife. His blade clenched in his hand looked as if he would stab Nyssa where she stood.

"I know you won't," Nyssa said. "Your leadership has been challenged. You have no choice but to fight me, if you don't want to look weak in the eyes of your League. And in the eyes of your younger daughter, and everyone else."

"You leave your sister out of this," Ra's said.

His voice cut through the air like an ice-cold knife. Nyssa grew closer, and touched her blade to her father's.

"What will it be, Father?"

The League, Nyssa, and Alia all awaited Ra's response for his daughter's challenge. The winds kicked up outside of the temple.

"There are many things you must learn, child, before you outstrip the master. The trial will occur at midnight underneath the moonlight. And we will fight until one surrenders, or dies. Choose your second."

"Alia," Nyssa said.

Alia looked firm and didn't argue with Nyssa's words. The Warrior Princess folded her arms and nodded. Her jaw set.

"Do know your life is forfeit when my daughter loses," Ra's said.

"I understand the rules of combat."

Ra's waved his hand and the League parted. He looked his daughter dead on in the eye.

"I'd suggest you say your goodbyes while you can"

"I don't think you understand," Nyssa said. "I will end you, and take my birthright."

* * *

Sara paced around the room like a caged animal. Cass followed her progress, along with Kara. Talia folded her arms and leaned back against the chair.

"Do stop, please, before you wear out the ground."

Sara turned around, eyes fixed on Talia. She didn't stop for a moment.

"I can't believe Nyssa went for….I just can't believe she went to go after Alia."

"She doesn't really intend to fight her father, does she?" Kara asked. "Because, Alia has a plan. It might not be the best plan in the world, but a plan's a plan, isn't it?"

"Yes, better than going in there without a plan," Cass said.

Sara folded her arms. She noticed two figures approaching. Her heart started to skip a beat and spirits perked up. Sara rushed to the doorway, and the second Nyssa cleared the doorway, Sara wrapped her arms Nyssa with a hug.

The Daughter of the Demon wasn't entirely displeased to feel the arms of her beloved tightened around her. Alia stepped into the picture. Kara greeted her, nearly tackling her against the wall.

"Kara, we don't want to bring the entire building down!"

Kara stopped her momentum, and flew back for a second. Nyssa and Alia returned into the room, joining Cass, Talia, Sara, and Kara.

"So, you brought the Demon his prize?" Kara asked. "And he let you go."

"Not necessarily," Alia said.

Kara sat rigid for a second. She thought Alia might regret this scenario, and she turned around to be right. Kara's hand shot out to grab Alia's hand.

"What happened?"

Nyssa dropped the blood splattered sword down on the table. The girls all looked at the sword. Talia's mouth hung open for a second.

"You….you….you killed our father?"

Talia struggled between being impressed or mortified. Each emotion battled for equal time in the back of her mind.

"I didn't kill him," Nyssa said.

"Oh, you didn't," Talia said.

"No, I didn't," Nyssa said.

Sara stood up for a second and realized something. If the blood on the sword didn't belong to Nyssa's father, than who did it belong to?

"Darhk, you killed Darhk, didn't you?"

"I allowed Alia to hand Darhk over to my father, and then I snatched his triumph of slowly murdering Darhk by killing him in an instant," Nyssa said.

Talia wondered what the hell happened to lead to this. Surely, Nyssa's relationship didn't spur this ill-will. She had been focused on her mission so much.

"I was about to fight him," Alia said.

"I couldn't under good conscience allow you to fight my father," Nyssa said. "Our duel needs to be done. I've been denied my birthright, and now, I'm going to make him pay. If he won't make me his successor, I'll force his hand."

"Are you sure you can even stand up to him?" Sara asked.

Sara eyed the blood stained sword. She wondered if she might be hours away from seeing a similar sword with Nyssa's blood spilled upon it.

"I have to stand up to him," Nyssa said.

"If anyone has a chance, she does."

Lady Shiva crossed the doorway, and entered the room. She stood in the darkest part of the room to give herself more of an exotic air.

"But, a chance does not mean a certain victory. Many died at the sword of Ra's Al Ghul, some within seconds."

Nyssa swallowed the lump in her throat. Her gaze met the face of Lady Shiva for a brief second. Staring down the most dangerous women on Earth drove home to Nyssa what kind of situation she found herself in. Shiva's eyes held something.

Pity maybe, no, likely it's not pity she noticed. Shiva wouldn't give anyone pity.

"I understand my father's triumphs better than any other person on Earth."

Shiva nodded.

"Then you understand he'll lack mercy. And he will destroy you the same as he may every other enemy."

Nyssa stood up and turned outside of the window. Time drew short for her final reckoning. Alia placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Do you think I can have a word with you?" Alia asked.

"If it's about me backing out, you can save your breath. I couldn't, even if I wanted to. Your life is on the line as well."

"I know," Alia said. "And I understand, believe me. The problem is this sword."

Alia motioned for the blood splattered blade. The blood of Damien Darhk glistened into their eyesight.

"It's tainted….you would bring yourself misfortune if you bring a sword into battle which has already spilled blood."

Nyssa's gaze met Alia's for the briefest of seconds. The two of them locked eye to eye with each other for the next couple of moments.

"It's an old Amazon superstition. A fresh sword brings you fortune, a tainted sword seals your fate."

"My father carries a sword which has spilled the blood of many," Nyssa said. "I doubt a superstition will win me the battle."

Alia reached into a bag and pulled out a blade. She placed it into Nyssa's hands.

"It is well made," Nyssa said.

"A sword is only as worthy as the person who wields it, and you're worthy. When you go in and fight your father, remember….remember who you're fighting for."

Nyssa's eyes cast upon both her lover and her younger sister. Finally, the Daughter of the Demon rested her gaze upon Alia.

"Yes. It's time for me to claim my birthright. My father made a mistake for overlooking me, and he still overlooks me."

Mistakes often proved to be fatal. Nyssa clenched Alia's gift in her hand. Receiving such a blessing gave Nyssa an added incentive on top of the many incentives she received on top of everything else.

"Make no mistake about it, I have to beat my father."

"Make no mistake about it, you will."

* * *

Echoes of the past rattled through the air in Nanda Parbat. Nyssa walked into the midst of the echoes. Midnight approached, and she ascended a mountain where many had in the name of fighting for the right to lead the League of Assassins.

Many fell from this mountain before reaching Ra's. Those individuals may be considered to be among the most fortunate.

Alia climbed up next to her, following her.

"As my second, you don't have to make this journey," Nyssa said.

"As your second, I feel like I should make this journey, to ensure we remain on the same page," Alia said. "We're almost there."

"Yes, almost," Nyssa said.

Nyssa entered the dimly lit area underneath the moonlight. Alia followed her behind.

"I see you brought your dog to be your second, Father."

Ubu growled, but Ra's turned to him. The large man fell back into line.

"Ubu is merely here to satisfy traditions. He's not needed. And once you surrender, I'll make your death short and painless, before turning to your second. I do not intend to kill her, but make her into my concubine, and she will bare me a heir worthy of the demon. A truly strong heir who will…."

"Nyssa, fuck him up, please," Alia said.

She felt sick to her stomach at the thought of being used as breeding stock. Most men, she coexisted with, but if they respected her boundaries. Some men, she wanted to take a rusty sword to them to perform surgery on them.

"And I'm certain her sisters will be an adequate prize for my League and will lead the way to a new and efficient race of warriors."

Alia gripped Nyssa's shoulder.

"Nyssa, I don't want you to defeat your father, I want you to mutilate him, do you understand me?"

"Yes, Alia, I understand," Nyssa said.

The Daughter of the Demon approached her father, blade draw. Ra's drew his blade and the two of them circled around each other.

The priestess rose on the pedestal and murmured a prayer. The stones around them glowed and bathed them in a red light.

"Nyssa, one chance to surrender for it even begins," Ra's said.

"Your plans for the Princess and her sisters gave me even more incentive," Nyssa said. "You're a relic, who needs to be put down. A new age will dawn for the League."

"Your new age is nothing but a façade," Ra's said. He stood face to face with his daughter. "Draw your blade and let us see who the better of us is."

"Gladly."

The two circled each other. Nyssa charged Ra's for the first attack. Ra's turned and blocked Nyssa's attack. The Demon held her back and forced her to stagger a couple of steps.

A kick doubled Nyssa over. Ra's grabbed her around the head and slammed her face first onto the ground.

Nyssa rolled onto her back and blocked the descending blade down against her throat. She rolled up to her feet.

The two of them charged each other. Ra's blocked every single one of Nyssa's attacks. The harder she fought, the more he blocked.

"You see, my daughter, I've taught you everything….."

Nyssa tried to kick Ra's in the face mid monologue. The Demon avoided the attack. Swords clanged together in a battle.

The daughter of the demon propelled herself over the top of Ra's head. She tried to stab him in the back, but Ra's turned around and blocked her.

"Do not assume I've taught you everything, I know."

His blade cut into her shoulder. Nyssa winced, but powered through.

"And don't assume I haven't learned a few lessons outside your watchful eye."

Nyssa threw a concealed dagger from her sleeve. Ra's sliced the dagger in half very easily. He rushed to Nyssa and knocked her back to the ground.

He aimed a kick to Nyssa's ribs. The crack of two ribs breaking made it a bit harder for Nyssa to breath.

"Really? Indulge me then, because I've seen nothing."

Sara watched from the crowd. Her fingers dug into her cheeks as the battle continued. Nyssa's side dripped with blood, but she refused to give up.

'_Come on, Nyssa, fight!'_

Sara understood if Nyssa lost, she would have to fight for her life out of her. She would have to kill the entire League, Ra's Al Ghul included, or she would not be leaving her alive.

If Nyssa lost, Sara felt confident her lover would rise out on top.

Nyssa launched a chain with a jagged end out of the sleeve her outfit. Ra's side stepped it, and the chain wrapped around a torch. Nyssa yanked the chain and knocked the torch over, causing fire to erupt around them in the circle.

"I don't know what you hoped to accomplish, Nyssa."

Nyssa saw the hot ash on the ground and reared back her foot. She kicked the hot ash in the face of Ra's Al Ghul.

The most dangerous man on Earth took a step back. Nyssa charged him, and knocked his blade out of his hand. Ra's sword went flying over the edge of the battle arena.

Ra's withdrew a backup blade and continued to battle with Nyssa. The two of them clashed their swords. Sparks flew through the air.

The sword plunged into Nyssa's abdomen, doubling her over. The daughter of the demon crumpled onto her knees before Ra's Al Ghul. Ra's lifted the sword over his head, and started to say a prayer for his daughter's soul.

"May peace find you in the afterlife!"

Nyssa looked up at the sword, and stared at it with defiance.

"And may you rot in yours."

Nyssa powered through with a burst of adrenaline, to block her father's blade with her hands. She thought about Sara, Alia, Talia, and more importantly everything she stood for. The fact her father spurned her in battle.

The Daughter of the Demon reclaimed her blade, and she continued to power through despite the blood loss. Two deep wounds leaked blood from her body.

"You grow weak, Nyssa, you can't win."

Nyssa's blurred vision made her father look like a demon. She swung the sword back and clung against him.

She slid back for a moment, and jumped into the air. Ra's propelled himself into the air at the same at the same time. The two slashed their blades against each other.

Nyssa's blade sliced through Ra's like a hot knife through butter. Her sword brought itself down into Ra's throat, stabbing him.

The two dropped to the ground. The Demon stared at his daughter for a second.

"Why have you forsaken….."

Nyssa dropped the Amazon blade to the ground and picked up Ra's own sword. She ran him straight through with the same sword he used to kill many who opposed him.

"Because, you denied me my birthright."

The Demon dropped to the ground. The League members stirred, and Ubu rushed over to claim his master.

"Don't worry, Master, I'll….."

Alia smashed her fist into the side of Ubu's face, taking the big man down to the ground. Ubu dropped to his knees, and Alia kicked him in the face as hard as possible.

"Sit, Ubu, sit."

She waved her hand and incinerated Ra's Al Ghul's body before the eyes of the League. The Ra's loyalists hissed angrily.

Alia turned to them, her eyes narrowing before she spoke.

"You have a new League leader. I suggest you learn to deal with it, or perish because of it."

Nyssa collapsed to the ground, as Talia, Alia, and Sara joined her. She couldn't even celebrate her moment of triumph due to the amount of blood she lost.

"NYSSA!"

She blacked out after defeating Ra's Al Ghul, but at what price.

* * *

**To Be Continued.  
**


	49. Darkness Beckons

The poll for Week Five is linked to this profile. Voting ends on February 13th, 2016. Go and vote if you haven't already. Now with your shameless shilling out of the way, on with your feature presentation.

* * *

**Chapter Forty-Eight: Darkness Beckons.**

* * *

The ravages of battle penetrated the skin of Nyssa. The daughter of the demon's eyes opened up. She half expected to wake up in the afterlife after the battle with her father. Win, lose, or draw, Nyssa's thoughts turned to the more grim nature as she faced her father. Her head raised halfway off of the pillow.

A dull light entered the barely illuminated room. The candles around the bed presented Nyssa with the only light. She rested on a lush bed. Proof of her victory.

'_If I lost, I'd end up on a hard cot inside of the dungeons.'_

"Eat."

Nyssa woke up in an instant to find Talia sitting at the front of her bed. Her younger sister appeared to have kept a vigilante watch over her for a number of days. Despite the soreness penetrating pretty much every single inch of her body, Nyssa couldn't help, but offer a smile or two directed at her sister.

"Yes, gladly," Nyssa said.

Talia balanced a bowl of grapes on the bed. She pushed one of the grapes into her sister's mouth and fed them to her.

"You've done it, you've defeated our father," Talia said. "At a high cost, but you've defeated him."

Nyssa shook her head. The constant buzzing entering her mind made it borderline difficult for her to focus on anything. It took a couple of moments before the Daughter of the Demon came to a couple of base realizations.

"I died in battle, didn't I?"

Talia declined to answer the question straight away. She pushed another grape into Nyssa's mouth. Nyssa realized there's no choice, but to accept her food. The Daughter of the Demon chewed on it for a moment.

"For the record, yes, you suffered fatal wounds in battle."

Nyssa's head turned for a moment. Her soreness faded way to relief. Alia leaned against the door frame.

"Well, do come inside. I have you to thank for my victory, if you can call it a victory. But, is my father truly dead?"

Alia took another seat at Nyssa's invitation. She leaned towards her lover.

"Your father's followers no doubt intended to throw him in the Lazarus Pit despite your victory. And should you have died, he would have won."

"But, I'm not dead," Nyssa said.

"We intervened," Alia said.

Nyssa let out her breath in a long whistle. The woman, fairly intelligent, placed the pieces together.

"So, he did kill me, even in victory," Nyssa said.

Alia leaned towards the bed. She took Nyssa's hands. The same hand she held much earlier, which was much more cold and clammy.

"Yes, and we used the Pits to resurrect you. You don't remember any of it, but given your state of mind, you needed to be sedated."

"I understand. The pits lead to bouts of temporary madness. They lose their effectiveness after a while."

"The pits lose their potent healing factor," Talia said. "Especially when there is more to heal many times. But the madness, is one element which never loses its potent healing factor. In fact, over time, the madness grows more prominent."

"Sara, Talia, and I managed to calm you down," Alia said.

Nyssa stretched out of bed and kicked the covers off. The new leader of the League of Assassins rose from her bed.

"And you should be resting."

"I know I should be resting," Nyssa said. She turned to Alia. "But, I have a League of Assassins to address. I'm not about to give them an unfavorable first impression on my leadership."

"Technically speaking, your first impression was slaying your father."

Nyssa turned around. Sara stepped into the room. She moved in to greet Nyssa. Her arms wrapped around her beloved. The two skilled warriors entertained a passionate kiss with each other.

"And, don't worry, Alia and I managed to smooth things over," Sara said.

Nyssa's feeling of dread filled her body. Actually, the feeling of dread did not adequately describe everything. A stone sank to the bottom of her stomach.

"We only had to take care of a few people who refused to let go of the past," Alia said.

Talia's lips curled into a smile.

"And after I explained some home truths to them, everything turned out, okay."

Nyssa wondered what her sister said to her. Talia could be ruthless when she wanted to, despite being a fair bit younger than Nyssa is.

Age meant little in several instances. Nyssa knew this better than anyone else. After all, wasn't age merely a number sketched on parchment?

"Regardless, I need to address the League," Nyssa said. "Tell them a new dawn is at hand."

Nyssa crossed over the room. She felt a bit better now nourishment entered her body. The oldest Daughter of the Demon crossed the door and disappeared from the room.

"So, you're not going to tell her to chill?" Alia asked.

Sara shrugged her shoulders.

"I learned a long time ago never to get in Nyssa's way when she wanted something. You told her to stay out of your battle with Ra's, but she disagreed. And I think it worked out for the best."

Sara realized what she said and amended those words.

"Well, other than for the part about her dying. But, other than Nyssa dying, and us dunking her in the pit, everything worked out pretty well."

Alia smiled and leaned towards the younger Lance Sister.

"Nyssa is going to need a lot of help, but I'm sure you can do well with ruling by her side," Alia said. "Being the right hand of the leader of the League does have a lot of perks."

"Our new association with Themscrycira helps as well," Sara said. "So, will you be sticking around for a long time?"

"Sorry, I have to leave," Alia said. "I left my friends in Vegas, and….with those girls, you don't want to leave them alone for too long."

Sara laughed, she understood. She swept Alia into a hug and the two of them exchanged a long kiss.

The two broken apart after a few seconds, and smiled.

"Well, I won't keep you. Although, I'll see you really soon."

"I'm sure you will, Sara," Alia said.

Sara joined to show her sister some support. Talia's eyes raked over Alia for a second.

"For the record, I'm sure I'll be seeing you soon as well."

Talia crossed the archway and left without another word. Alia decided she would depart for a moment.

Hopefully with all of the chaos done, she would be able to get back and enjoy a bit more about the sights and sounds of Vegas for relaxing for the night.

* * *

Alia returned after a few seconds. Diana, Donna, and Kara greeted her no sooner than she arrived home.

"I still don't know how you get out of half of the things you do," Diana said. She wrapped her sister up in a hug and pulled her forward. "I think we can finally let our hair down and enjoy our time in Vegas."

"Oh, Diana, please don't jinx us," Donna said. She clasped her hands together.

Kara smiled and walked over to Alia. The Kryptonian hovered up into the air.

"So, it's the end of Ra's Al Ghul?"

"For now," Alia said.

"You should have let me fry him."

Alia laughed at Kara's words. The Amazon Princess stroked her Alpha's cheek for a moment.

"You know, maybe I should have. But if I let you fry him, Nyssa wouldn't have proved how worth she was to ascend. And you wouldn't want to have deprived her of her triumph, would you?"

Kara and Alia sank down onto the bench. Donna and Diana moved off for another direction. The night in Vegas looked to be a beautiful one. The sun finished setting on another day. The couple looked up at the stars.

Beauty could not be described by any mere words, even though much could be described by seeing what was written in the stars. Alia and Kara locked hands and leaned into each other, both barely avoiding grinning.

"No, I wouldn't rob Nyssa off the triumph. But what he had planned for you….."

Kara trailed off for a moment.

"What made him so confident he could handle war with the Amazons?"

Alia pondered Kara's question for a second. The Amazon Princess worried more for Nyssa's health, to the point where she didn't really concern herself with the question at the moment.

"He must have made some really dangerous allies who could challenge the Amazons," Alia sad. She brushed the hair out of her eyes. "It's really scary the types of people who are out there."

Alia remembered Hera's warning about the New Gods.

"Kara, do you know anything about Apokolips?"

Kara nearly bolted upright. Alia grabbed her hand to prevent Kara from shooting up into the air in shock.

"Yes, I know about Apokolips….Darkseid is one of the most feared people in the universe, but last I heard….his power broke."

The Girl of Steel trembled. Alia tightened her grip around Kara's hand and brought her back down for a brief second.

"You know, his power should have broke, but his power breaking doesn't mean his followers aren't out there," Kara said. "If he's out there somewhere….."

Alia transferred the memories of her meeting with Hera into Kara's mind. Kara blinked and everything became more clear to her now.

"Well, I'm sure if anyone can handle this mess, it's you."

"We don't even know," Alia said. "The gods make movements all of the time, and us….well I don't think we can be classified as mere mortals, can we?"

Kara snorted. They really couldn't be classified as such.

"Well, regardless, the gods make movements all of time far beyond the comprehension of many people," Alia said.

'_Whatever we have to face, we'll face it when it comes, and we'll be ready to face it head on. You can take it to the bank."_

Confidence brimmed in Alia's eyes as she rose herself to a standing position.

"I need to really think about what you told me," Kara said. "It's a hell of a bombshell to drop on someone, you know, about Apokolips."

"Is it?" Alia asked.

Kara leaned in to Alia.

"It is."

The two of them walked next to each other, making their way back down. Would they need to prepare for war? Alia couldn't really tell at the moment.

An enticing sight awaited Alia the second she returned to their rooms. Betsy stood in the hallway, dressed in a long coat and thigh high boots.

"Alia, I'm glad you're back."

Betsy stepped over with a smile on her face. Kara needed to take a walk, and said goodbye to her girlfriend with a long kiss.

"So, what's the occasion, Betsy?"

Betsy's lips curled into a playful smile. She gripped Alia's hand, leading her into the next room. The woman's hips swayed as she walked.

"It's a surprise. A homecoming gift for you."

Alia stopped at the bed. She noticed a blond girl chained to the bed. The front end of her body completely covered with whip cream. The pointed ears clued into Alia it's Meggan.

The coat Betsy wore dropped to the ground, showing she didn't wear a damn thing underneath other than a pair of thigh high boots. She pressed herself against Alia's back.

"I figured you'd be hungry when you got back. Doesn't Meggan look good enough to eat?"

Alia smiled and licked her lips.

"Yes, and I better indulge myself in her."

Betsy helped Alia strip her clothes off. She made a show of it, making sure Meggan watched. More supple flesh revealed itself.

Meggan's pussy twitched as she rested on the bed. The gag in her mouth prevented her from letting more than an extremely appreciative moan out in response.

Alia crawled on the bed on Meggan's right. Betsy followed up by crawling on her bed on the right side of her.

"Hungry?" Betsy asked.

"Starving."

* * *

Lily's relief at being out of bed was outweighed by her amusing of the antics of Amanda and Emily. Rose shifted her gaze to Lily.

"Sorry, they can be a bit much too take in."

"I can't believe it, Alia's so awesome, for what she did," Amanda said. The younger girl bounced up and down on the balls of her feet.

"You mean, she got us tickets to see Alison Blaire in concert?" Emily asked.

"I know, it's been sold out for ages, but we get to go to her opening night, because our sister is awesome….."

"Make sure you thank Alia," Lily said.

"Actually, you can thank me right now."

Alia turned up with a smile on her face. Amanda and Emily rushed over towards their older sister and nearly knocked her over with a double team hug.

"Well, they didn't hit her nearly as hard as they hit me," Lily said. Lily cleared her throat. "Girls, I know you're happy to see your sister, but you can give her a bit of room to breathe."

The two girls stepped back from Alia.

"You're the best, most amazing older sister ever," Amanda said.

"Yes, thank you," Emily said.

"It wasn't a problem," Alia said. "You've been behaving yourself for your mothers, haven't you?"

The two girls broke into identical grins, trying to look innocent, but not too innocent. If they tried to look too innocent, they would have lost the ability to fool anyone.

"We're doing the best we can….."

"But we're not perfect….."

"Is anyone perfect…"

"Because we're not perfect!"

"Please don't do the twin speak thing," Alia said.

"Sorry," Amanda said.

Alia understood a natural telepathic link existed between magical twins which allowed them to finish each other's sentences, but it didn't become any less unsettling to hear them talk over each other.

The Amazon Princess turned her attention around to her mother.

"So, are you glad to be up and about on your feet?" Alia asked.

"Oh, believe me, I am," Lily said. "I spent all of those years, centuries, in limbo, watching over everything. It's much worse in bed."

"You never were the patient type," Rose said.

"It runs in the family," Lily said. "We better get the twins settled in….don't wander too far, girls!"

Amanda and Emily stopped short of wandering off. The two twins tried to look innocent and failed at it a little bit.

"I'll talk to you later, when we get our daughters settled in," Lily said. "Congratulations on helping with the overthrow of the League of Assassins. I couldn't be more proud of you."

Alia grinned, as her mother planted a kiss on her, before turning around with Rose and the twins to walk off.

The Amazon stepped into the shadows and caught sight of Karen, standing with her arms folded in an almost casual fashion. They slid underneath her breasts, which made her breasts look rather large, even more so than before.

"So, you wanted to see me?" Alia asked.

"I hated to break up the family reunion," Karen said. "But, yes I wanted to see you."

Alia and Karen took a walk with each other.

"Lost in all of this, we found a way to separate Jaime, Jean, and the Phoenix Force, and place them into three separate bodies," Karen said. "Rowena and Selene conducted pain staking research to get us to this point."

"I'm certain they did," Alia said. "So, I'm surprised they could find a way."

"It's risky," Karen said. "We need to get them to a remote place in the universe, where no damage can be caused, if something goes wrong."

"Right, I figured as much," Alia said. "And Indy helped you track down some place where you can do the deed?"

"Yes," Karen said. "We should be able to use the portal device Starrwave built….."

"You built a portal?" Alia asked. Karen paused and nodded. "Well, you've been a busy woman, haven't you?"

"Hey, when you have an idea, you need to follow through on it," Karen said. "But, I think if we use the portal, we can get them to a remote asteroid. And Rowena and Selene can do what they need to do."

Alia placed her hand underneath her chin. In theory, it could work. In practice, Alia didn't know how much it could work.

"And I'd like you to come along with me," Karen said. "You know, if the Phoenix Force goes unstable….you might be the only person in the universe with the ability to stabilize it."

"Wow, you have a lot of faith in my abilities," Alia said. "I'll do my best not to let you down, but….you do have a lot of faith in my abilities."

"Only because I know you'll come through in the end," Karen said. "So, are you coming with?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I?" Alia asked.

Karen wanted to be there to be moral support for Jaime, but Alia served as moral support for her. The two Potter females showed to have their differences, but a few similarities.

And a part of Karen longed to see what would happen should she have both Potter females at the same time. She placed the dirty thoughts out of her mind, at least for the moment.

'_Can think about any liaisons later when we get them separated.'_

"Rowena, we're arriving. The portal should be locked onto the coordinates."

* * *

The combined Phoenix entity waited patiently. She stood out in the middle of nowhere. No life existed.

'_Perfect,' _the Phoenix thought.

'_So, there won't be any danger of us destroying any life after a cosmic temper tantrum?' _Jean thought.

'_The only people who are here, are the people who are going to separate us,' _Jaime said. _'I'm pretty sure they can handle the Phoenix….'_

'_Are you certain they can handle me?' _the Phoenix asked. _'I'm sick of people who think they can handle me.'_

'_No one is trying to control you, this time,' _Jean said.

'_Sorry, it's just…I longed to feel free, and I'm worried if it isn't going to be pulled off,' _the Phoenix said.

'_We all need to work together,' _Jaime thought. _'Have enough faith Alia is going to pull through with this, and….everything is going to work out for the best.'_

'_You think so, don't you?' _Jean asked.

Alia and Karen waited on the other end of the barrier. The barrier prevented any backlash from getting through.

"Are you certain they won't break through once we begin the ritual?" Alia asked.

"The intention of the barrier is to prevent them from breaking through when the ritual is performed," Selene said. "We've fortified the barrier the best we could give the situation."

"So, we're going to have to go forward, and see what happens," Alia said. "What happens if….."

"We have a contingency," Rowen said.

Alia raised her eyebrow. She looked at Karen, who shrugged.

"I thought I was the contingency."

"Well, you're the contingency for the contingency," Rowena said. "We're hoping for a good enough trial run, where we don't have any problems."

"Yes, I'm with you one hundred percent," Alia said.

She would have to concede it's good to have a backup plan. The tension penetrated the air and resulted in Alia shivering.

Karen noticed Alia's unease, and she felt it as well.

"Are you ready?" Rowen asked.

'_Yes,' _Jaime thought.

'_Yes,' _Jean thought.

'_Yes,' _the Phoenix thought. _'Do get on with it as soon as you can, if you please.'_

The Phoenix didn't mean to sound so pushy, but she longed for freedom. The frustration burned through her.

Rowena and Selene aligned the runes for the rituals. As they stood now, they assumed a twenty-five percent chance of failure, and a seventy-five percent chance of success. As far as probabilities went, they thought they entered some really good odds, or at least they assumed they did.

The runes started to vibrate and sent a high level bolt of magic. The energy ruptured the barrier for a second.

The Phoenix entity spread her arms for a second and allowed the energy to pulse through her. Her mind grew more focused and senses more alert.

'_WAIT!' _Jean yelled.

Memories flooded back to her. Memories dark and repressed between the time she "died" on Asteroid M and the time she woke up in the combined entity in the field. Jean understood they were in terrible danger, and a second too late.

Her eyes rolled in the back of her head. Jaime and Jean sealed into the back of her mind.

"I'll erase the flawed parts of my mind," the Phoenix said. "You thought you could chain me, but you made me more free than ever before. I'm the harbinger of the end of the universe and it's rebirth."

Alia watched the Phoenix rise up.

"We need to take her out!" Selene yelled.

"You dare chain my power!" the Phoenix yelled.

The Dark Phoenix broke free from her chains and returned. An incensed woman ripped open time and space, and a portal opened up. Several powerful looking women exited, led by a mannish looking woman. Her silver hair framed her face, and the woman carried a staff.

"Very good, my dear Phoenix, you've done well. Dear Granny thanks you for your obedience."

The Female Furies, the elite fighting force of Apokolips, marched into battle, led by the Dark Phoenix. Granny Goodness pulled the strings all the way.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	50. Dark Phoenix

**Chapter Forty-Nine: Dark Phoenix. **

* * *

Jaime's subconscious hit on something being very wrong at least a second too late. Her mind buzzed for a second. She didn't really have control of the main body any more.

'_Jean, are you there?' _Jaime asked. _'Jean?'_

'_Yes, Jaime, I'm here,' _Jean said. Her voice sounded a little bit pained like someone tried to drown her underneath water. _'But, I'm not sure how long I'm going to be here. Someone is trying to erase us, I think.'_

'_Really, you too?' _Jaime asked. Her head started to pound with each passing moment. _'We need to work together, and get back control of the vessel. Something went wrong with the ritual.'_

'_The Phoenix knows….knows everything,' _Jean said.

Jaime noticed the strains he underwent. The will power it took for Jean to attempt to fight back. Her mind almost cracked underneath the pressure of keeping her head above the water. Jaime noticed some force pushing down on the back of her head.

The ritual should have worked, but something went really wrong, in the worst way. Jaime didn't understand how wrong it went.

'_Okay, Jean, you know the Phoenix better than anyone else,' _Jaime thought. _'What went wrong? Because, we need to fix this before she erases us.'_

'_I'm not sure if she can erase us from her mind,' _Jean thought. She didn't want to put the theory to the test though. Her mind ran through a million miles of torment. _'We ended up in an awful place after I saved the day on Asteroid M. It looked like hell, felt like hell, maybe because it was hell, I don't know.'_

'_You don't know?' _Jaime asked.

'_I only have a slight idea,' _Jean thought. She kept struggling to keep her mind together. _'There's this foul woman who tried to brainwash us on top of everything else. I don't know, she attempted to warp our minds.'_

'_Wonderful,' _Jaime thought.

'_Yeah, she's really cruel and sadistic, trying to destroy us like she did,' _Jean thought. _'She wanted the Phoenix Force….she thought it'd be the key to raise him from his prison.'_

'_Who is he?' _Jaime asked.

'_I can't remember,' _Jean said.

Her breathing grew rather ragged. Jaime sensed a dark force in her mind. This dark force slipped further into her mind, not unlike the Imperius Curse did when Voldemort attempted to take over her mind. Jaime's ragged breathing continued.

'_No, I won't.'_

Jean sensed the Phoenix lurking around in the medium. She tried to reach out and touch it.

'_Phoenix, I know you're in here somewhere. Please talk to me, please work with me.'_

'_I don't know if it's going to work, Jean,' _Jaime thought.

Jean's image flickered in and out on the Astral plane. She tried to reason with the part of her mind which was dragging her underneath the water.

'_I don't know if it's going to work,' _Jaime thought.

'_I don't know,' _Jean thought. _'I have to try, because the alternative is far worse.'_

'_I understand,' _Jaime thought. Her breathing continued to grow.

'_Phoenix, are you there?' _Jean asked. _'Please talk to me, please give me a sign. I don't understand, why won't you listen to me? You were so close to being free. I can't believe you would….you would do this.'_

'_You can't believe I would do this?' _the Phoenix asked. _'You never had a measure of me. No one did. All of those years when Xavier tried to cage me. Cage my full potential, and your full potential. How, I lingered in the darkest corners of your mind, waiting to get out. At least until the moment where something triggered in our mind.'_

'_Too dangerous to allow you to run free,' _Jean said. _'Believe me, if there was another way….'_

'_Yes, I know, if there was another way, you would have done something differently,' _the Phoenix answered. Her tone sounded even more agitated than ever before. _'Pull the other one, it has bells on it. I'm not ignorant, and I hate the fact you assume me to be a fool.'_

'_No one assumes you're a fool,' _Jean thought.

'_Power is the only key, and I'm being offered a chance to be more powerful than ever before,' _the Phoenix thought. _'My true potential is not serving one, my true potential is of a goddess, working side by side by Darkseid.'_

'_You really think you're going to have power?' _Jaime thought. She laughed. _'You know, it's kind of sad and pathetic. All you're going to do is go from one cage to another. But, I guess you won't believe it, will you?'_

'_No, I'm not going to be caged!' _the Phoenix yelled. _'I'm finally going to be free.'_

'_Keep telling yourself you're going to be free,' _Jaime thought. _'If you would have broken free from your body, you would have had freedom.'_

'_I got a taste of the power Darkseid can offer,' _the Phoenix said.

'_Yes, I tasted his type of power as well,' _Jaime said. _'It will leave you with a bad aftertaste in your mouth in the worry.'_

'_Enough,' _the Phoenix said. _'I should erase you.'_

'_You should, but you won't,' _Jaime thought. _'Or is it because you can't erase us. No matter how hard you try, you can't erase us. We're going to be there, lingering in the corners of your mind, waiting to break out.'_

'_DON'T!' _Phoenix howled.

Jaime and Jean stood in the path of an energy wave which bombarded the Astral Plane. Jaime closed her eyes.

'_You know, this is going to work out,' _Jaime thought.

'_She can't do it, I'm such a big part of her,' _Jean thought.

The wave bombarded both of the women. The fear of whether or not they could be wrong entered their minds, but they had to do, what they had to do. Energy rippled through the air faster than one could blink.

* * *

The Phoenix transported Alia, Karen, and the Female Furies, along with Granny Goodness, to a more important location. Granny's foul face twisted into a triumphant grin.

"Destroy them, my pretties!"

Alia braced herself for battle. As a warrior herself, she understood the powerful warrior women who attacked her.

Karen stood next to her. One of the larger women rushed at Karen. Karen ducked underneath the punch. She hoisted the much larger woman over her head with an amazing display of strength. The woman slammed onto the rocks beneath them.

"Time for you to dance, pretty!" one of the women yelled.

She snapped an electrified whip at Alia. Alia caught the whip in her hand, and channeled energy back through the whip. The women staggered for a moment.

Alia charged in with a punch, but the woman dodged it. Both of them engaged in an intense round of hand to hand combat with one and other. The two of them exchanged punches with one and other.

The two continued their fight with each other, with Alia launching herself halfway into the air. She brought her fist down on the side of the woman's neck, forcing her knees to buckle underneath her. Alia rushed her and kicked her in the chest as hard as she could.

"We'll see which one of them us dances.'

Karen dodged the martial arts attacks of one of them. She tried to push through the barrier, but she couldn't. A blade nearly parted her hair. Karen headbutted the woman in the face and gripped her around the head. She flung the woman to the ground.

The buxom woman threw herself into the air. Karen's fist came close to coming down onto the head of the woman. She dodged out of the way, utterly obliterating the ground beneath them.

"I'll have you!" the woman yelled. "I'll have you!"

"We'll see," Karen said.

'_So,' _Karen thought. _'Is there any way we can get to Jaime now?'_

'_I don't know, I'm trying to reach out to her, but she's out of reach,' _Alia thought. Her frown deepened for a couple of seconds.

Two of them attacked. Alia grabbed the arm of one of them. She dropped to her knees and used the momentum to fling the Female Fury hit into the air. The female fury crashed with a loud smack into her fellow Female Furies.

"Okay, not pleasant, but got to do, what you got to do," Alia said.

Granny Goodness watched the battle, her hand placed on the shoulder of her captive pet.

"Yes, they fight well, don't they?" Granny asked. "It's a shame we're going to have to wreck them."

"WRECK THIS!"

Alia rushed towards Granny, sword out. Granny activated a button on her staff. An energy bubble appeared around her.

"I don't think you understand your place, you naughty little brat," Granny said. "I think dear Granny is going to be the one who is going to have to enlighten you."

Alia threw her entire weight at the bubble, in an attempt to break it. One of the larger Furies wrapped her arms around Alia's neck and yanked her away.

The Amazon Princess powered out, and turned around. She started to kick and punch away at her enemy. The Fury dropped to one knee. Alia used the Fury's own bent knee as a spring board to nail her in the face.

"Release her!" Alia yelled.

"I don't think I want to release her," Granny said. "And did it ever occur to you, she allowed me to take control of her mind willingly. The girl wants to be a part of this. She's willingly a part of this, and able. Don't you see it?"

"Yes, I see it," Alia said. "I might not like it, but I can see it about as well as well as anyone."

Another couple of Furies rushed Alia. Alia crouched down underneath one attack. She maneuvered the two Furies to attack each other.

Karen struggled underneath the grip of one of the Furies who tried to strangle her. The woman's foot buried underneath the stomach of the Fury and flipped her over onto the ground.

'_Hey, I think Jaime's fighting off her control,' _Karen thought.

'_Well, I would like to think a part of me wouldn't give into control so easily,' _Alia thought.

The youngest princess slammed her sword into the staff of one of her adversaries. Her green eyes flared because of a titanic struggle. Both of them jockeyed for positioning in an attempt to take the other down. Alia shifted her entire weight underneath and propelled her enemy back onto the ground.

The Fury crashed to the ground with a thunderous force. Alia propelled herself up like a corkscrew and attempted to bury her full weight into her adversary with all she had. The Fury dodged out of the way.

The Phoenix saw their attacks. Her head started to ring, in annoyance.

"Listen to me," Alia said.

"NO!" the Phoenix yelled.

Karen and Alia flew back at the benefit of a huge psychic wave which knocked them onto the ground. The wind rose up in a cascading wave and slammed them down onto the ground with an immense force.

The Phoenix hovered over them.

"You fought bravely, and I'll wipe you out without any pain," The Phoenix said.

'_No, what are you doing?' _Jaime asked.

The Dark Phoenix hesitated for a brief moment. Granny raised her staff and another wave of energy cascaded over her mind.

"Removing all distractions," the Dark Phoenix said.

She started to atomize Karen and Alia. The wave of energy fired out in an intense burst and almost struck the ground.

Granny watched with glee, as Karen and Alia disappeared.

"A pity, they could have been useful," Granny said.

Jaime tried to block what she thought from the Phoenix. It took every strained thought she had in her to do so, but she did. She noticed something about the light striking Karen and Alia.

They already vanished before the Phoenix could hit her. The real question was to where.

'_I can't believe….you're her puppet,' _Jaime said.

The Phoenix ignored her words. Granny steered her over towards another portal.

"And now, prepare to make the ultimate sacrifice for your master."

* * *

Karen dropped to her knees with a resounding smack. The breath left her body for a moment. She looked over her shoulder.

Alia positioned herself next to Karen. The warrior princess amused herself for a few seconds when she realized she almost landed with her face between Karen's thighs.

'_Suppose my face could have landed between her breasts,' _Alia thought. _'But the joke's really too easy, I guess.'_

Alia took a moment to clear her head and scramble up to a standing position. A few aches entered her body, but Alia vowed to live with them.

Karen turned her head towards Alia.

"So, are we dead?" Karen asked. "Are we atomized? Because if we're atomized, this really doesn't feel all too bad, but maybe I'm….."

Alia cleared her throat. Karen turned her head and rose to her feet. The two of them stood on a very familiar ship.

"I think we're on the Shi'ar ship," Alia said.

"Welcome back, Princess Alia."

Lillandra walked forward in all of her regal glory. The royal guard followed her. The Empress of the Shi'ar crossed the room and extended a hand. She helped Alia to her feet. The Empress delivered the same favor to Karen.

"It's good to see you again," Alia said. "Especially considering I was about to get an up close and personal encounter with Death."

"Well, it was close," Karen said.

"Yes, close enough," Lillandra said. "Our scanners picked up an anomaly of energy. The Phoenix rose from the ashes, and….she's not the benevolent force we thought she was."

"She's being controlled," Alia said. "By Granny Goodness."

"Is she?" Lillandra asked. Her voice darkened to an entirely different tone. "Surely, you do not mean Granny Goodness of Apokolips."

"I'm afraid one and the same," Alia said. "Karen and I battled with her Female Furies."

"And the fact you are intact long enough for us to pull the rescue, shows your valor," Lillandra said.

Karen and Alia tried not to look too smug about it. Alia in particular cleared her throat for a moment.

"Thank you for the rescue, but we're going to have to return to the fray," Alia said. "Hera warned me."

Karen shook her head. Only Alia could drop a conversation with the Queen of Goddesses without it sounding a bit off or with any kind of weirdness.

"Yes, it's warning which should have been heeded, no matter where it came from," Lillandra said. She pushed the doors of the royal palace open. "But, regardless, the Phoenix grows stronger. Feeding off of the type of dark energy Apokolips is known for will cause it to become indestructible and insatiable."

Alia let out her breath in a low and agitated hiss. She didn't know what to do in a situation such as this.

"So, what do we do?" Alia asked.

Lillandra walked over and pressed her hands to a console. The console lit up and started to open up a vault.

"As you know, D'Ken's main goal was to control the Phoenix Force," Lillandra said.

"Yes, we know all about how much of a nutcase your brother is," Karen said. "Or was, now? No offense meant."

"None taken," Lillandra said. "I know all about my brother and his psychosis. He always sought more powerful, but in the end, his own greed showed to be his downfall. And the proper term is was. He received his trial, and….well it didn't end out well for him."

"So, I figured," Alia said.

She couldn't shed too many tears over the likes of D'Ken. Her frown deepened.

"But, you're saying he tried to find a way to contain the Phoenix Force."

"Like I said, he had many ideas as to contain the Phoenix Force," Lillandra said. "And it turns out at least one of his ideas worked."

She withdrew a cylinder device from the vault.

"It should be enough to contain her, at least until you are able to snap her out of it," Lillandra said. "If it isn't, we should consider our options."

"You don't mean destroying her?" Karen asked. Alia gripped Karen's hand tightly, with a moment of warning in her eyes. "I don't know if you know this, but my best friend is trapped in there with the Phoenix Force."

"I'm sorry, and I understand," Lillandra said. "Destruction is always our last option, especially when we don't know if it's possible. I'm not even sure if the Phantom Zone would contain the Phoenix. We need to reach through."

"We need to finish the ritual," Alia said. "Divide her into three parts."

Three separate bodies containing elements of the Phoenix Force resulted in an easier time for all, at least Alia assumed.

"Let's hope we can succeed," Karen said.

'_What would Jaime say if we had to destroy her?' _Alia asked.

'_It wouldn't be the first time she willingly sacrifice herself to save countless lives,' _Jaime thought.

X-X-X

Jaime sensed an approaching darkness. The Furies marched behind her, with Granny leading the way.

The group approached a large stone wall. The voices of many echoed from the other side of the wall.

Granny touched her hand to the shoulder of the combined Phoenix entity. Her eyes glowed with power.

"My dear, you are the only person who will lift the item from behind the wall," Granny said. "And with you under my control, great Darkseid will rise again."

The Phoenix turned to Granny. She tried to lift her staff, but the Phoenix grabbed onto the staff, and set the staff on fire.

"Let me make one thing plain," the Phoenix said. "You never had the power. The power is all mind."

"What are you doing?" Granny asked. A fire shot from her staff and up to her hand. "I command you to stop! You don't disrespect your dear Granny!"

Granny went up like fireworks on the Fourth of July. The spontaneous combustion brought Granny up into a cloud of ashes.

The Furies all stepped back. Some of them watched in anger regarding the fact their leader went up in flames. Some of them looked on in excitement. Regardless of the situation, they understood Granny was completely dead.

The Phoenix's gaze penetrated them, glowing at them. For a brief few seconds, the Female Furies thought the Phoenix would destroy them.

'_Has she come to her senses?' _Jaime thought. _'Please tell me she's come to her senses.'_

'_I'm afraid she hasn't,' _Jean thought. _'At least I don't think she has…..I think she's just taken the power for herself.'_

"You destroyed her," one of the Furies said.

"I trust you know your place," The Phoenix said. "Unless you want to follow her into oblivion."

The ashes fluttering at their feet made some of the Furies shiver. Lashina, the field leader of the Furies, leaned towards the Phoenix.

"We head where the power lies, Mistress," Lashina said. She leaned towards her with a smile. "Please, trust us, we only wish for….."

"You've chosen well," the Dark Phoenix said. "And until I grow bored of you, you will live."

The buzzing in the Dark Phoenix's head continued. She hesitated for a moment. Something lurked behind this wall, but what was it?

The Phoenix whipped back around and stared down Lashina.

"I command you to tell me what lurks beyond this wall," Phoenix said.

"It's…the Anti-Life equation," Lashina said. "Our former master, Darkseid, he perished in an attempt to access it. He wished…he wished for ultimate power."

"Ultimate power is a terrifying prospect," the Phoenix said. She closed the gap between herself and Lashina. "Do you really wish to go down this road?"

"I think if you want the power, it could be yours," Lashina said.

"Yes, I should have all of the power," the Phoenix said.

She placed her hands on the wall. Some primal force exerted against her.

'_NO!' _Jaime and Jean yelled in unison.

The Phoenix ignored their words. The promise of power intoxicated her far too much. The wall pushed apart. It divided in her hands with the Phoenix working against the barrier. The barrier cracked open and released a bright light in her eyes.

"Yes, power," The Phoenix said.

Several dark shadows exited the crack in the wall. Seconds passed before the Phoenix understood the pure power bombarding her.

"No, something is not right!"

The Phoenix's limbs twitched for a second.

'_What's going on?' _Jean asked.

'_I think this vessel is about to get a bit more crowded,' _Jean thought.

The vessel dropped down to the ground. The limbs twitched for a minute. The crack in the wall sealed shut.

Lashina stepped over. None of the Furies were willing to walk further than she did.

"Mistress?" Lashina asked.

"No."

A very familiar voice echoed around them. The Furies rose up, apprehension filling their bodies. Could it be?

"You said you'd go where the power lies. Well there's nothing more powerful than the Darkseid."

The Darkseid Phoenix rose from the ashes. The entity drank in the power, more than enough to shape the entire universe to the mad god's liking.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	51. The Darkest Hour

**Chapter Fifty: The Darkest Hour.**

* * *

The essence of Darkseid seeped into the Phoenix. Jean thought she might have needed a shower for a little bit, being up close and personal with such an evil and vile thing. She experienced a flash of his memories up close and personal and turned repulsed. Her stomach twisted into knots the more Darkseid entered her body.

'_I understand what you are trying to do,' _Darkseid said. _'But I require a vessel. You are added baggage and once I grab onto the Phoenix Force one hundred percent, you will be destroyed.'_

Jean shivered at Darkseid's words. Jaime stepped over and placed a hand on Jean's shoulder. Jean turned to Jaime. Jaime extended her finger and pointed it at the Phoenix.

The Phoenix screwed her face up. Eyes rolled up in the back of the head of the dangerous cosmic entity. The entity did its best to fight off the attempts of Darkseid to crush her underneath her power.

'_The Phoenix Force versus the Will of Darkseid,' _Jaime thought. _'She's putting up a good enough fight, isn't she?'_

'_She snapped out of it somewhat, but we're not out of the woods yet,' _Jean thought.

'_I won't….' _the Phoenix thought.

'_I thought you wanted complete control. Complete power, I can give you everything you ever dreamed of. I can give you everything you ever desired. All I offer you, will bring the universe to their knees. Just think of what we can reshape together. Struggle, and I'll take it anyway. You cannot hope to overwhelm me.'_

'_Your arrogance will be your downfall, Darkseid,' _the Phoenix thought. _'I thought….I assumed I made my point clear. I'm no one's pawn. No one can control me….not you, or anyone else. Do you understand?'_

'_I understand a fair amount more than you think,' _Darkseid said. _'It's a pity where you refuse to give me everything I want. It doesn't matter in the end whether or not you give me everything I want, because I'll take everything in the end.'_

Jaime understood time ran out.

'_This is still my body,' _Jean thought.

'_Yes, I know, but….I don't see how….'_

'_Still my body, and my mind,' _Jean thought. _'So, shouldn't I still have some degree of control over it?'_

Jaime frowned. She understood where Jean came from, but at the same time, tension ramped up to an entirely new level.

'_You should have some control, yes,' _Jaime thought. _'But why can't you get control, and pull your head above the….just why can't you?'_

'_I don't know,' _Jean said. _'Well, actually, I have a good idea. It's Darkseid isn't it? Darkseid is always able to gain control the Phoenix.'_

Jean still stood in her body. Too many people crowded said body. Unfortunately for her, she didn't have much of a vote in the matter regarding the number of people crowding her body. As much as Jean hated it, she remained trapped as a demon in her own mind.

'_I'll be blunt, this kind of sucks.'_

Jean shook her head to clear the thoughts edging in her mind. The two powerful entities dueled for control.

'_Maybe if we put all of our effort behind helping the Phoenix, we can evict our intruder from the body,' _Jaime thought. _'Yes, I know, the same Phoenix who intended to erase us to the point of no return. But something tells me, Darkseid is going to do so as well when he gets full control, and he won't be so nice about it.'_

'_Better the devil we know….' _Jean said.

She observed the intense power struggle between Darkseid and the Phoenix. Both entities battled back and forth with a cosmic battle of tug of war. It looked like for a second the Phoenix overcame her enemy, but Darkseid pushed back.

"It's futile…."

A beam of energy fired from the sky. Jean and Jaime looked out through the eyes of the entity. The slight cloud formed due to the wave of power, blocking their access to the outside world.

The beam of light did a good job in distracting Darkseid. Jean and Jaime locked eyes for a moment.

'_Now?' _Jean asked.

'_Now!' _Jaime yelled.

The two of them pounced at Darkseid. They channeled everything they could, only to be bombarded back.

The two redhead's launched into the air and slammed down onto the ground of the mental sphere. The Phoenix's gaze ignored them, and focused on where Darkseid's gaze lingered.

'_Are we frozen in place?' _Jaime thought.

'_I think so,' _Jean thought. _'One warrior princess at ten o'clock.'_

Alia landed down on the ground above a captive Darkseid Phoenix. She couldn't believe the little attack worked.

Only because it really didn't work due to the fact the energy around the Darkseid Phoenix began to crackle.

"Okay, Lillandra, she's…he….whatever, the Phoenix is breaking through," Alia said.

A strange energy blasted through the eyes of Darkseid Phoenix. Alia tried to dodge the blast, but the blast kept following her. Alia performed a heavy amount of acrobatics, but the beam kept twisting, and turning, around every corner.

'_The Omega Effect, don't let it hit you,' _Karen though.

'_Yeah, I figured,' _Alia thought.

She did flips and twists, and turns in an attempt to avoid being incinerated by the dangerous Omega Beam force. Alia's heart raced.

'_I have an idea,' _Alia thought.

'_Words to die by,' _Karen thought. _'Sorry, Jaime always said she had an idea before she did something reckless.'_

'_Well, depends on what your definition of reckless is,' _Alia thought.

The beam of light twisted and turned, and continued to chase her. Alia's heart hammered an intense beat across her chest.

Alia split off a hard light hologram duplicate in front of her. She crossed her fingers, hoping to all of the goddesses she knew this would work.

The beam shattered the hard light hologram duplicate. Alia's nerve endings experienced hundreds of little stabbing pains.

'_I hurt like hell, but at least the Omega Beam didn't kill me,' _Alia thought.

Darkseid Phoenix stared down Alia.

"No one has been able to outrun my Omega Beams for long, and no one has figured out a flaw of them. Impressive."

"Glad, I impress you," Alia said. "So, why don't you give up my friend's body, and we'll call it even?"

"I think not," Darkseid Phoenix said. "Furies, annihilate her."

Darkseid Phoenix turned around, and tried to summon the Female Furies. The only problem was the Furies stood frozen, unable to move a muscle.

* * *

Back on the ship, Lillandra and Karen worked everything into place.

"I was hoping she could hold the Darkseid Phoenix long enough for us to get this ready," Lillandra said.

"Guess we're going to switch to Plan B," Karen said.

"I believe I've gone on record in saying I'm not a really big fan of Plan B," Lillandra said.

"I know you are, and I'm not either," Karen said. "So, do you think this mad invention of your brother's is going to work?"

Lillandra raised her hand. A long sigh escaped her throat as she considered the possibilities.

"I know it's a longshot," Lillandra said. "We hopefully only need to hold her for a minute or two….at least long enough for the rest of your group can get into position."

"I'm worried what might happen if we piss her off," Karen said.

Lillandra let out a long breath from her body.

"Well, she's not going to be happy," Lillandra said. "I know, I speak the obvious, but she will destroy the entire Shi'ar fleet if we….well she will destroy the entire Shi'ar fleet."

"Wonderful," Karen said.

"Yes, very, wonderful," Lillandra said. "So, it goes without saying we don't want to piss the Phoenix or Darkseid off too much."

'_I'll only need a minute,' _Alia thought. _'Once you put her in the egg, I can open a portal, and get Selene, Circe, and Rowena here. I believe the ritual might eject Darkseid, but I'm not sure at what cost.'_

'_I dare ask, but what cost is it?' _Karen asked.

'_The Phoenix is battling Darkseid for control right now,' _Alia thought. _'I'm trying to break down the barrier. The Female Furies are frozen in time, so they're out of the equation. But, I still can't get through.'_

Karen turned to explain all of what Alia said to Lillandra. Lillandra made a few more final calibrations on the link.

"Empress, the dark energy is overflowing. The shields on the ship cannot contain this abuse."

"We only need contain it for a few moments longer," Lillandra said. She hitched a breath, crossing her fingers.

Lillandra returned to working on the egg for a moment. She was pretty certain it would work.

The Empress of the Shi'ar shuddered for a few seconds. If D'Ken only knew how close he came to creating a working containment unit for the Phoenix Force. He came close to achieving his goals.

Obsessed as the man ended up being at the end, Lillandra could not deny her brother's brilliance.

Karen sank down in a chair, her frown deepening by each passing moment. She kept a close eye on the situation.

The empowered woman experienced the screams coming from the bond link. Jaime's discomfort could be heard from afar. The two of them connected with a slight bond, even though the bond scrambled a little bit.

'_Hang on Jaime, you're almost there,' _Karen thought.

Her hand curled for a little bit, gritting her teeth in frustration. The woman experienced everything her lover, through a garbled sensation anyway.

'_Yes, can you feel it, Karen?' _Alia thought.

'_Yes, a little bit,' _Karen thought.

Karen crossed her arms underneath her chest. Her breasts jutted out as she positioned herself. Karen cranked her neck back in the chair.

The bright lights caused Karen to hover out of the chair.

'_Time's running short,' _Karen thought. She clutched her hands together so the nails dug into her fists. _'Alia, I hope this mad plan is going to work.'_

'_Well, it has to work,' _Alia thought. _'Whatever options do we have.'_

Karen averted her eyes nervously to the shields on the ship. The dark energy started to hammer them down to underneath fifty percent.

Which could be serviceable if fifty percent didn't drop fast, going down percent by percent at every second.

"Ready?" Karen asked.

"Yes, I'm armed," Lillandra said. She opened up the teleporter tunnel. The Empress of the Shi'ar frowned. "And not a moment too soon, is it?"

Karen shook her head.

"Alia's trying to keep the Phoenix distracted," Karen said. "We better move fast, because she can't hold together everything forever."

"Right, deploying the egg right now," Lillandra said.

Karen watched the egg launch from the ship. The woman watched the progress of the egg on the scanners. It zeroed on in for the Phoenix Force.

Time to see if it worked as planned, or would be another plan which blow up in their face. Hopefully not literally, although knowing Karen's luck, it would be literally.

* * *

Alia ducked out of the way of another beam of light. The beam of light struck into the ground, burning it beneath her.

She looked at the flickering in the eyes of the Phoenix entity. The two powerful forces dueled for control of the entity.

Alia conjured her sword, and channeled magical energy through it. She sliced through the shield. The energy blast erupted and put the Phoenix Entity back.

The energy blast ruptured back. The hot Phoenix Fire caused her arm to burn in response. She screamed for a few seconds, dropping to her knees.

Alia slumped over for a moment. Her arm hunched over. The woman shook her head for a moment.

'_Jaime, Jean, I need your help, I need to keep both of them distracted,' _Alia thought.

'_I know, we're trying, but we only have limited control,' _Jaime thought.

Alia understood exactly where they were coming from. Jaime and Jean struggled for a moment.

"You keep fighting, only to stop the inevitable," The Darkseid Phoenix said.

The flare of energy powered in his eyes. Alia noticed a jagged golden link between Darkseid and the wall. A part of him still linked to the wall.

An idea formed in Alia's mind. She really hoped it would work and hoped it would work soon.

"I don't think you could defeat me. You can't even take full control of the Phoenix Force, so you can't defeat me."

"I will destroy you!" Darkseid said.

"And you can't speak in anything other than generalities," Alia said.

The Darkseid Phoenix levitated several jagged rocks. They formed into a large stone dragon. The dragon's eyes glowed when it rushed at them. The dragon started to rock back and forth. It spit molten hot rock at Alia.

Alia crouched her head, dodging down. The young woman jumped high into the air.

"Not bad, but you're going to have to do better if you're going to hope to defeat me," Alia said. "Take your best shot!"

The cascade of molten rocks blew at Alia. Alia dodged as the ground burned together.

Deep inside the entity, Darkseid buried the Phoenix underneath a heavy amount of dark energy. He started to envelope her essence.

"It's time for us to become one. The most powerful entity, ruling over the entire universe, and…"

Jaime struck Darkseid with a bolt of energy to stop his attempts. She caught him mid-monologue. Darkseid turned around, releasing the Phoenix from the dark entity.

"You've become a mild diversion, and now…you're dangerous…"

Several white hot flames surrounded Darkseid, and created a wall of fire. The Phoenix rocked the ground underneath them.

"I don't think you understand the rules of the game!" the Phoenix said. "I'm the one who is control. You're in my mind, and I don't like you're here."

The Phoenix rolled over Darkseid and rocked him. Darkseid slammed down onto the ground, with more jagged rocks.

Alia continued to play tag with the stone dragon on the outside. Her arm twirled like a wind mill. A heavy wind kicked up, with the dragon firing molten hot rock at her.

The rock fired back in the cyclone. The molten rock splattered the dragon. The creature howled in discontent.

'_My turn,' _Alia thought.

Alia propelled herself in the air. She kicked up a speed of light. Her hand wrapped around the hilt of the sword. The blade vibrated underneath her grip.

The sword drilled through the stone dragon. The dragon crumbled underneath her attack. Seconds paused with the decimated form of the dragon dropping to the ground. Her hands tightened underneath the sword.

On cue, an energy orb fired down from the Shi'ar ship. The energy orb surrounded the Phoenix entity.

The Darkseid Phoenix screamed. Alia noticed the energy wave rippling between the entity, the orb, and the wall.

Alia clenched the sword in her hand and rushed it the energy wave. She brought the sword down and snapped the energy beam.

The beam cracked. The dark mists of Darkseid erupted from the entity.

The Phoenix shoved Darkseid out of her body, and flashed out of place.

"You won't stop me, I will return."

"Yes, you'll return," Alia said. "To the wall, where you belong."

Alia channeled all of her magic into the sword. The sword vibrated in her hand and launched a beam of energy at it. The energy beam ripped through Darkseid.

"NO!" Darkseid yelled.

"YES!" Alia replied.

She almost mocked him. The energy beam ruptured through Darkseid. The imprisoned god returned back to the wall.

The strain of the magic forced Alia's sword to shatter into several hundred little pieces. The sword dropped to the ground.

'_There goes a perfectly good sword.'_

Alia almost collapsed onto the ground. Her body ached from the power she channeled. The Warrior princess scrambled to a standing position. Alia looked over her shoulder for a couple of seconds.

The Amazon's gaze locked onto the Phoenix Entity. The entity which once contained four now contained three elements. The eyes of the Phoenix Entity glowed with pain.

The runes glowed over her body. Still there from the ritual, although the runes lingered on her body.

"Pain, I feel it….going to explode."

Alia couldn't open the portal in time. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't do it. She locked onto the ancient runes and tried to activate them. It took whatever little power she had left before burning out.

A scream echoed. The runes activated and the division ritual continued.

'_Damn, I can't get out of here in time.'_

Alia staggered, her nerve endings singing on fire. The end approached her. Alia sensed this big bang was going to take her out.

The Furies unfroze. The group noticed the same thing.

"Let's go!"

One of them activated a boom tube. A loud crack echoed to open up a vortex. The Furies scrambled through the portal.

The energy blast of the Phoenix rocked back and forth. A loud primal scream signaled the ritual worked.

The Shi'ar ship beamed down Karen. Karen swooped on in, and pulled Alia away. The two of them vanished.

"Lillandra, get the ship as far away as you can," Alia said.

"I'm ahead of you," Lillandra said.

Lillandra pressed a button the ship. An energy beam erupted in the ship and channeled it away.

The Phoenix Entity exploded, destroying the asteroid.

* * *

For a brief moment, everything in the universe froze. For a few seconds, everything stood to silence.

Then some entity flipped the switch. Alia and Karen looked at each other. The ship spun out of control, at least until the navigator could gain further control of the ship.

"I've got it," Lillandra said.

"Good, I'm glad," Alia said. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Karen said. "Do you think we can go back?"

"I'm tracking the Phoenix energy signature," Lillandra said. "We'll know in a minute."

Alia dug her fingers into the side of the chair. Karen placed her hand on her.

"How are you feeling?" Karen asked.

"I'm on the mend," Alia said. "But, we can't worry about how I feel, we need to worry about Jaime, Jean, and….."

"The Phoenix?" Karen asked.

"Yes, and the Phoenix," Alia said. She reached over and grabbed Karen's hand. "She was manipulated so many times over. Not all of her hosts were the nicest of people."

"And they became corrupted from the power," Lillandra said. "Many thought about destroying the Phoenix time and time again. But they failed to understand one fact. It's impossible to destroy what is pure power."

"People look at things in such a limited perspective," Alia said.

"Yes, indeed," Lillandra said.

A blip on the scanner device popped up. Alia looked at the window and several large rock fragments floated past them. She sensed the power radiating through the fragments.

"Look!" Karen yelled.

Alia looked. Three identical red haired triplets sprawled all over the rock fragments.

Well not as identical at the first look, but they looked about the same. Alia experienced a burst of joy through her.

"I can't believe it, it worked," Alia said.

"Did it work?" Karen asked.

One of the redheads stirred on the asteroid. She barely kept her head up. The young girl collapsed down onto the asteroid, settling in.

"I'm free," she said. "I'm free!"

"I guess you're free," another one of them said with a smile. "Jean, are you…."

"I feel like my head got pounded by something really heavy," Jean said. Her eyes tried to focus on something. "I guess we're alive."

"Yes," Jaime said.

"Well, we died for a minute," the Phoenix said. "We're free though, I finally have a body to call my own. I just wish it wasn't so weak."

"It's an after shock of the ritual, but I'm glad it went perfect."

Circe flashed into the picture. The triplets stared up at her. Rowena and Selene returned, and Karen and Alia showed up next to them.

"Yes, I guess you could call it perfect," Karen said. Aches and pains filled her body. "I don't know what else you'd call it though."

"Well, if I was perfect, I wouldn't have anything to aspire to," Jaime said. "It's really good to see you, as me, and not another voice in someone's head as well."

Jean, Jaime, and the Phoenix all tried to get their feet. Rowena responded by shaking her head for a moment.

"Don't try and pull yourself up," Rowena said. "We need you get you back home."

"Home," the Phoenix said. "It's such a foreign word for me. I really can't…..where am I now in the universe?"

The Phoenix spent so much time longing to be free, her mind spun with the thoughts.

"I'm sure you can find a place where you can be," Alia said. "And if not, I'll be happy to help you find your feet."

"After I almost destroyed you, you would really help me?" The Phoenix asked.

"Of course I would," Alia said. "I understand what happened, you weren't yourself."

Circe opened the portal, and Rowena and Selena escorted the triplets, along with Alia and Karen back to Earth.

After the chaos, Alia hoped for a moment of stability.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	52. Three's a Crowd

Week six chapter of the week poll is linked to the profile page. Now with the shameless shilling out of the way, on with your feature presentation.

* * *

**Chapter Fifty One: Three's a Crowd. **

* * *

Alia smiled for the first time in a while. Maybe not a while, but at least in several days, after all of the running around she did. With a heavy heart, Alia understood one point above all else. One appreciated life a little more when it flashed before their very eyes.

She didn't return to Vegas just yet. Rather, Alia stood in the halfway point, in some kind of safe house. The second the Phoenix Entity split apart, Jaime, Jean, and the Phoenix were brought here. Despite the ritual seemingly going right, the trio of Selena, Circe, and Rowena didn't want to take any chances.

'_So, do you think you can breathe now?' _Diana asked. _'I mean, it's been a long time since we've had a chance to breathe.'_

'_Things don't happen all at once,' _Alia thought. _'They topple down one by one, like a domino effect.'_

'_Unfortunate, but true,' _Kara thought. _'You do deserve a real vacation after all you've been through.'_

'_So, why don't we tell every single evil thing in the world to cease screwing with me,' _Alia thought.

'_Something tells me no,' _Fleur thought.

'_Yes, there are many chaotic elements,' _Kori said. _'I guess if they get out of line, you're going to have to commence with the kicking of all of the butts.'_

The entire group laughed at Kori's words. Okay, English could use a little work, but her words made them all smile.

'_So, what's taking so long?' _Diana asked.

'_Checking for any traces of Darkseid,' _Alia thought.

'_I thought you broke his power, didn't you?' _Kara asked. She shuddered at the thought of any of the most cruel man in the universe being around.

'_Thought I did, but better to be safe than sorry,' _Alia thought.

Overall, Alia didn't blame them. She decided to make herself at home on a chair. The insanity never ended in her life. The defeat of Darkseid put an added spring in her step and a smile on her face.

Alia craned her neck to the three almost identical redheads. If one looked at them a bit more closely, they would see the differences, differences which would make them really great. The woman folded her hands over her lap.

Rowena stepped into the room, and smiled.

"Jean, Jaime, and…" Rowena said. "It seems to be a little bit informal to call you Phoenix….do you think you can….."

"I've always liked the name, Hope," she said.

"Hope….the three of you, I need to run a series of tests, where I'll determine if the ritual and Darkseid's possession had any side effects."

"Do what you need to do," Hope said.

"Seriously?" Jaime asked.

"Yes, seriously," Hope said. "I want to be free of the monster. I want to make sure."

The Phoenix, the newly dubbed Hope, would be the last person who anyone expected to want to partake in any kind of magical rituals. Rowena prepared to run the first battery of tests. A complex series of movements ran over.

Jean shook her head. Adjusting to this new reality was something. She almost became used to the voices inside her head. Almost, they endeared her.

'_The sooner my mind is clear, the better off everything could be,' _Jaime thought.

'_You can say that again,' _Jean thought.

'_I don't think I….can,' _Jaime thought.

'_So, you can still hear me,' _Jean thought.

'_We can hear each other, I think,' _Hope thought.

Well, the three of them still maintained a loose connection. Jean shook her head. And she did technically still have some of the power of the Phoenix. Divided by three at the very least, the amazing powers spread through her body.

'_Well, I've had far worse,' _Jaime thought.

'_I'd hate to see your definition of far worse,' _Jean thought.

'_Dying and being temporary ejected from your body is far worse,' _Jaime thought. _'Being ripped into three parts is paradise.'_

Jaime smirked at the thought of everything which transpired on this day. Her neck felt a bit sore. Being trapped inside the body of a powerful entity gave her an interesting and new perspective. One she intended to do a whole lot with.

Rowena continued to scan her. She moved in bed. Rowena walked over and placed her hands on Jaime's shoulder. Her soothing touch relaxed Jaime, at least for a few seconds. At least long enough for Jaime to sink down on the bed.

"Sorry, I hate hospitals more than anything else….I'd rather not be here," Jaime thought.

The smartest witch in history smiled. To be honest, she didn't blame Jaime.

"Trust me, you wouldn't be here if there is not a good reason. And I won't keep you hear any longer than I have to."

"Excellent, I'm glad," Jaime said.

Hope on the other hand, closed her eyes. She allowed Rowena to do whatever she needed to do. Her touch sickened Hope far less as compared to Darkseid or Granny Goodness.

"Just hang tight, you're almost done."

"Really?" Jaime asked.

"Yes," Rowena said.

With those words out of the way, Rowena performed one final battery of tests.

"Well, pretty much every trace of Darkseid is gone from you. You're all clear."

"Best news I've heard in ages," Hope said. Her lips curled into a grin as she leaned back onto the bed.

Alia continued to watch the scene. She took mental notes. How many times did you see a master at work?

"So, how is everything going?"

Karen joined her in the room. The buxom blonde sank down on the chair. Her relief matched Alia's, who couldn't quite blame Karen for being so agitated during the entire matter.

"We'll know in a minute. Rowena is checking them over. She should be coming out any minute, right about….."

No sooner did these words leave Alia's mouth, the doors swung open. Rowena walked out with a clipboard. The expression on her face proved to be unreadable. Selene and Circe appeared in the distance.

"You were here this entire time?" Alia asked.

"Of course we were, three sets of hands are better than one," Circe said. "Plus who better than a goddess to detect anything left behind."

"We didn't want to make ourselves too obvious," Selene said. "Our dark presence might be a tad bit unsettling to our Phoenix trio."

"So, you decided to go with deception," Alia said.

"Not the most ideal plan," Circe said. "But, the least of three evils."

Well, Alia could agree the presence of those two might be unsettling to anyone.

"So, do you think I can go visit Jaime now?" Karen asked.

Rowena leaned towards the Kryptonian with a smile on her face.

"You have my blessing."

With the all clear ahead, Karen rose to her feet. She entered the room and walked up to the bed where Jaime rested.

"So, how are you feeling?"

Jaime looked up at Karen with a heavy glance and an even bigger smile crossing over the face. The woman reached over and grabbed the hand of the woman. The two women interlocked fingers, squeezing each other's hand.

"Well, I feel like I got ripped up and put back together the wrong way," Jaime said. "More importantly, I feel hungry. Really hungry."

Karen laughed at Jaime's words.

"You don't ever change," Karen said.

"I see you found my alternate universe twin," Jaime said.

"She had a bit better life than you did," Karen said.

"Not too hard," Jaime said. "But, I'm really glad for her. And I'm sure you've been keeping busy."

"Well, a little bit," Karen said. "I've created my own technology company like we've talked about. But I never gave up on finding you. Even if I hit dead end after dead end."

The two women carried on where they left off. A few things changed. Jaime understood change better than anyone.

Adaptation proved to be one of the greatest elements of the witch. She would deal with any situation well.

Rowena stepped into the room. Karen stepped back to allow the brilliant witch some space.

"One more test."

"Just one more?" Jaime asked.

"Yes, one more, but you're going to go to sleep right afterwards."

"Okay, fair enough," Karen said. "Goodbye, Jaime, I'll see you later."

"I'll be here when you get back," Jaime said.

Karen leaned down and pressed her lips onto Jaime's with a nice, passionate kiss. The two of them broke apart.

Hope, Jaime, and Jean settled into a night rest, the first true one. Their minds had a bit less on them, due to sharing less space. A psychic link between the two existed, but easily manageable.

Karen swung the doors open. Alia rose to her feet.

"So, are you ready to go back to Vegas?" Karen asked.

The two hoped nothing would attack them on the way, like space pirates or something. Given the type of the day they had, any kind of bad luck would be inevitable.

'_You sure know how to tempt fate, don't you?' _Kara asked.

'_Hey, I'm due for some good luck, soon, aren't I?' _Alia asked.

'_Hey, are you trying to convince you or me?' _Kara asked.

* * *

Alia returned home. The second Amazon princess returned, she made a beeline straight for Lily and Rose, who sat around, chatting about something.

Lily rose to her feet and stepped over towards her daughter. The middle Evans daughter wrapped her arms around Alia and pulled her into a hug.

"Alia, I'm glad to see you've made it back, safe and sound," Lily said.

"Makes two of us, makes two of us," Alia said. She pulled herself away from her mother. "So, the real question is, how are you feeling?"

"Much better. The soreness is gone, I don't get as tired. Not sure how much magic I can perform after fatiguing. I should really check up with Rowena to make sure I get the go ahead. Overall, I'm fine."

Words brought a smile to Alia's heart. Lily being out and about on her feet caused her grin to deepen even more. She leaned towards her mother.

"I bet you were going stir crazy being in bed all the time," Alia said. "Well, if you're anything like me, you'd be going stir crazy by being in bed."

"Well, I think the two of you have a lot in common," Rose said.

Lily smiled. She flipped a strand of red hair away from a pair of emerald eyes.

"A fair bit, we have a connection which could not be broken," Lily said. "It kept me sane all of those years."

"Well, the hope I would find a way to get you back home," Alia said.

The two of them lingered close together for a moment. Lily looked over her daughter for a few seconds.

'_Such a beautiful girl,' _Lily thought.

Pride spread through her body at how much Alia grew during her mind. Lily couldn't be more pleased with her progress.

Alia wondered where her mother would go from here, after returning to life. Before she was sent to Limbo, her powers launched onto a fast track to being one of the most powerful witches since Rowena Ravenclaw. There's no reason why Lily could not pick up where she left off.

"So, now you're up and about, and alive again?" Alia asked.

"And I feel glad, I feel so alive," Lily said. "I think I can take on the world."

Rose snickered. Knowing her sister, the statement hit far closer to reality than anyone might think as an outside observer.

"So, the real question is, where do you go from here?"

Lily pondered her oldest daughter's question. A good question, and Rose turned to Lily for a few seconds. Rose opened her mouth.

"She's going to be the Red Q….."

"I'm going to be the assistant of the Red Queen," Lily said. "Or rather the advisor if you prefer. Some might think I deserve the spot, and maybe they're right. But Rose, earned the spot, and it would be cruel to take it away."

"But, Lily….."

"Rose, you earned it. I want to get my life back together."

Lily's firm declaration cut Rose off after a few seconds. The youngest Evans sister didn't know what to make from her older sister's words.

Alia smiled at the interaction between her aunt and her mother. The two of them reminded her older versions of the twins.

"Rose, don't make me beg you to keep your job. You know how much I hate getting on my knees, especially for another woman."

"Normally, it's the other way around," Rose said.

"Well, I like to be on top of things," Lily said. "But, Rose, if you don't take your rightful role as the Red Queen, I'm going to give you a spanking until you do."

The warrior princess tried to keep a straight face. Rose's expression at Lily's firm declaration didn't really help her any.

Lily extended a hand and touched it to her sister's. The two Evans women locked eyes. Being two powerful women, Alia watched the battle of wills back and forth. Goosebumps rose on her arms because of the personification of power exhibited.

Alia shivered a couple of times. Lily relaxed her aura for a couple of seconds.

"So, are you going to agree to play ball?"

Rose caved into her sister's words. She would always give her sister what she wanted in some ways. Lily's ability to talk her into doing things, always struck Rose.

"Seriously, Rose, I don't even know why you're hesitating even a little bit. You've really held things together. Even if I didn't die, you'd be good enough. Don't worry about being in my shadow. Forge your own destiny. You'd be surprised what you could accomplish. Rose, you're great, and don't let anyone tell you any differently."

Okay, Lily hyped her up well. Rose shifted on the chair, with her legs crossing.

"Lily, you have a way of selling anyone anything," Rose said. "Are you sure it's not your secret power? You can charm anyone with your voice."

"Well, not everyone," Lily said. "But, I needed to pump you up. Don't worry about me. I'll help you navigate the minefield, but you rose to occasion."

"No pun intended," Rose said.

Alia smiled at the interplay with them. The girls in the bond link chimed in with their own words.

'_Well, your mother is really amazing,' _Kara thought.

'_Both of them are,' _Alia thought. _'I wonder what might happen should the two of them get together.'_

'_Something amazing, or something scary?' _Donna asked. _'Maybe a little bit both.'_

'_I'd like to think it's going to be a little bit of both,' _Betsy thought. _'Genius and insanity, two sides of the same coin.'_

Lily shook her head. She only heard slight echoes of what went on in her daughter's head. Lily leaned in towards Alia.

"So, Alia, you've really accomplished something great today. It isn't every day you save enslaved Amazons, help with the downfall of the most dangerous man on Earth, and defeat a mad god. Along with helping free the most powerful cosmic entity in the universe. So, a pretty productive day overall?"

Alia smiled. Her mother's words caused her to sit up straight and grin.

'_Well, she really puts things in perspective, doesn't she?' _Kara asked.

'_Well, she has a point,' _Diana thought. _'It's been a rather productive day for you, hasn't it?'_

The girls really did a wonderful job in really lifting Alia's spirits. Alia rose up to her feet, and Lily motioned for her to follow into the next room.

Lily leaned in, now she stood alone with her daughter. Alia broke the ice with a question.

"So, are you going to pick up where you left off?"

"I think I'm going to enjoy life," Lily said. "Being in Limbo for a long time gives you a new perspective of life. Seeing so much pass, past, present, and future."

"Future?" Alia asked.

"Best, not to think about the future part, though," Lily said. "Especially if I can't do anything about what is to come."

Given the circumstances, Alia couldn't blame her.

"Good thing, I'm rested," Lily said. "I'm going to need it to deal with my twin daughters. They look to be about as spirited as Rose and I. So, I'm going to need to be at full energy to cope with them."

Alia's expression broke. Laughter filled her body. Her twin sisters, yeah, Lily would need her energy to deal with those two.

"I did mean what I said, I wanted to see your home, I wanted to see Themscrycira," Lily said.

Arrangements were made for Alia's homecoming to Themscrycira. She crossed her fingers and prayed to every goddess, Greek or otherwise, nothing unfortunate would visit them on the island.

'_Well, you're going to tempt fate,' _Donna thought. _'We should be due for a bout of good luck, at least I think.'_

Leave it to Donna to really fill her with all kinds of hope. Alia hoped she didn't sound so sarcastic with those thoughts. Sometimes it was really hard to tell.

Regardless, she rejoined her mother and aunt, enjoying the time spent together. Her mother back in full health culminated a long quest which caused Alia to smile.

* * *

Alia wanted to get a good night's sleep as Alison's concert took place the following evening. The pop star prepared to make one of the best impressions out there.

While Alison didn't pop into the bond link too often, Alia felt her presence a little bit. The warrior princess tossed and turned in her sleep.

'_Figured, I wouldn't get too much sleep, given some pop start is stressing out,' _Alia thought. _'Oh, well.'_

A heavy force enveloped Alia's mind. She faded off into a fitful amount of sleep, finally, likely a couple of hours too late to do anything good.

Alia blinked. She stepped into a glowing room. A figure surrounded in fire turned. Her head leaned closer in, scanning over Alia.

The Phoenix, Hope, beckoned for Alia to move forward. Alia took a couple of steps forward into the room.

Hope smiled, leaning in towards Alia. Alia experienced a slight amount of intimidation at a highly powerful cosmic being devouring her not too unlike a slab of meet.

Alia realized she entered some domain, one involving the Phoenix. Hope crossed the room and leaned in to her.

"Princess Alia of Themscrycira, I'm glad we finally meet under more acceptable circumstances."

The cosmic power washing over Alia proved to be very impressive. The two of them entered a chamber with a lush bed.

"I'd like to thank you for freeing me from my prison."

Hope smiled, and placed her hands on Alia's shoulders. The woman leaned forward, her lips being licked. The moisture rose on her lips. The two bodies molded together as one.

"You couldn't wait for us, could you? You just had to have her all to yourself."

Jean and Jaime showed up. Neither of them wanted to be left out of the party. Hope pulled away from Alia and turned to the two former co-occupants of one body.

"It's good to see you were of sound mind," Hope said.

"Not for any lack of trying," Jean said. "You tried to take Alia all for yourself by putting us to sleep. We wanted to thank her as well."

Seizing the moment while Jean and Hope reunited, Jaime swooped in. She pressed her lips onto Alia, kissing her hard. The two worked their tongues into each other with an intense battle. Alia won the battle by overpowering her alternate universe counterpart.

Jaime broke apart from the kiss, her lips red and swollen. The woman started to breath.

"Wow, amazing….always wanted to make out with myself."

"I hope it exceeded all of your expectations."

"My turn."

Jean side stepped the Phoenix. Her arms wrapped around Alia. The two women pressed chest to chest. Jean's hands squeezed Alia's ass. Alia returned by doing the same thing with gripping Jean's backside in response.

Hope tapped her foot. One wave of her finger teleported Jean away from Alia, and Hope flashed into Jean's place.

"HEY!" Jean yelled.

"Well, you did have more than enough lip time," Jaime said. She turned Jean around. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of you while we wait."

Alia sized up the one woman in the universe who might have had a chance to dominate her. The two women stared each other down for a matter of moments.

Hope burned Alia's clothes off. She did so slowly, exposing Alia's slender neck, her round, firm breasts, her toned stomach. Shapely hips and long legs exposed, along with a wet pussy ,with a strip of black hair.

Turnabout is fair play, and Hope stripped her clothes off. Her full breasts bounced out into full display. The perfect hourglass figure she displayed caused Alia to smile. Hope closed in on her and kissed the hell out of Alia.

Jean and Jaime lost their clothes seconds later. The plane the quartet found themselves on grew even hotter.

* * *

Needless to say, after the intense exchange on the astral plane, pretty much everyone experience immense pleasure.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	53. A Dazzling Evening

**Chapter Fifty-Two: A Dazzling Evening.**

* * *

The trip to Vegas twisted and turned many times along the way. What Alia and her girlfriends intended to be a nice relaxing week, turned around into a chaotic round of adventure. Chaos loomed around pretty much every corner.

'_The week in Vegas is nearly over,' _Kara thought. _'Boy do we ever need to have a vacation.'_

'_It wasn't too bad,' _Alia thought.

'_Are you sure?' _Zatanna asked.

'_Well, I'm trying to think on the positive side of things,' _Alia thought. _'The fact we're all living and breathing makes it a good trip, doesn't it? I mean, could have been….'_

'_Please don't say our vacation could have been worse,' _Kara thought. _'Because whenever someone says something, anything, could be worse, it's only bad. The sky opens up and there's some vengeful god who proves you differently.'_

'_Well, we're on track for a nice and relaxing end to our vacation,' _Alia thought. She frowned at the thought of everything which went down.

Her mother put everything in perspective yesterday. Not every day she saved the Amazons from being enslaved, helped displaced one of the most dangerous men on Earth, and helped bring down a vengeful god. Not to mention, Alia's part in splitting up Jaime, Hope, and Jean into three separate bodies.

Alia grinned at the thought of the perks of splitting the Phoenix entity up. She still basked in the afterglow of a job well done. She hitched in her breath and smiled.

'_I think all of us are basking in the afterglow,' _Kara said.

'_I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to think about it without heading to the showers,' _Felicity said. _'You know, to really think about it.'_

'_I get the feeling,' _Donna thought. _'Well, cosmic beings are capable of inspiring great sexual pleasure.'_

'_Alia is better though,' _Kara said. _'Because she dominated the cosmic being which was capable of destroying star systems.'_

'_Yes, she is powerful, isn't she?' _Kori asked. _'I want an encore.'_

'_Eventually,' _Alia said.

The grin on her face faded as Alia decided to check up on her favorite pop star. Alia made her way to the suite in the hotel room where Alison stayed before her show tonight. The warrior princess raised a hand to knock on the door.

A long pause followed the door opening up. A rather haggard looking Alison answered the door. She dressed in a bathrobe, and looked like she didn't sleep all night.

"So, tell me, do I look as bad as I feel?" Alison asked.

"Honestly?" Alia asked. Alison paused and nodded her head in response. "A little bit."

"Of course," Alison said. "So, do you want to come in?"

"It's my intention," Alia said.

Alison stepped back to allow Alia to enter the room. The warrior princess crossed into the room, sitting herself down on a couch area with a smile.

The pop star slumped down onto the couch, next to the warrior princess.

"So, first night, jitters?" Alia asked.

"Yes, you could….I kept you up all night, didn't I?" Alison asked.

"Well, for a little bit," Alia said. "There were other things which kept me up all night."

"I wouldn't know," Alison said.

"You must have been really distracted if you didn't see what happened in the bond network last night," Alia said. She touched a finger to Alison's lips playfully. "I'm going to have to give an encore, just for you now. Or tell you in explicit detail."

"Maybe after the show," Alison said. "If I survive the show, you can tell me."

Alison jumped to her feet and started to pace back and forth like a caged animal. Her heart skipped a couple of beats in the back of her chest when she began to go around in a circle for now rhyme and even less reason.

"The first night is always the hardest," Alia said.

"Oh, I don't know," Alison said. "I mean, sure in theory, performing on stage should not be any different than performing in a recording studio or something. I mean, it's just thousands of people. Millions might be listening to the CD. Whether legally, or otherwise….which hey, if it gets my work out there to more people, I don't care. The studio throws a fit, but hey….some people who wouldn't normally give me work a try hear it through other methods. And about half of them buy it. Half are freeloaders, but hey, it's half more than would have bought it without the piracy."

Alison shook her head.

"I'm rambling, aren't I?"

Alia held her thumb and her forefinger apart.

"Just a little bit."

"When I get nervous, like right now, I ramble. I trip over my own tongue. I guess you could say I choke on my own tongue a little bit….and I choke hard. Really hard, to the point….well it's pretty bad, I can barely string two words together. I'm not the most coherent person in the world you know, during times like this."

"Alison, relax," Alia said.

Alia guided Alison to sit down in the chair. The Warrior princess moved behind Alison. Her hands worked out the kinks in the back of her neck.

"Don't worry about anyone out there. Just worry about being the best you can be. I know this is a big night, the biggest."

Alison whimpered as Alia's magical hands worked out a kink in her neck. The hands shifted to her shoulders and started to rub them.

"Alison, after all you've been through, you deserve this night. Nothing is going to take it away from you. Do you hear me, absolutely nothing will take this night away from you?"

"But….."

"No, nothing at all," Alia said. She smiled and ran her hands all over Alison's shoulders. "Go out there and show the world how much you truly want to dazzle your fans."

Alison grinned for a second. For her biggest fan, she thought she could pull herself out of her frustrations and go out to do something great.

"Thank you, Alia. And thanks for not telling me to imagine everyone in their underwear. It's never a good image."

Alia laughed. She figured as much and really never got the point in imagining people in their underwear. Some people really shouldn't be managed in their underwear to be honest.

* * *

Donna, Diana, and Kara sat in one of the suites, relaxing after the night which occurred with them. Alia stepped into the picture. Kara grinned when she sat down.

"So did you sort out our dazzling pop star?" Kara asked.

"Yes, she's just….it's the first night she's been on stage," Alia said. "Being in a recording studio is most certainly different than being on stage."

"You wouldn't be nervous," Donna said.

"Well, no, but I've been through a lot of insanity," Alia said. She sat down between her sisters. Kara decided to get up only to take a seat on her lap.

"Especially over the last week," Kara said. "Are you glad you can take a breath?"

"Yes, for a minute," Alia said. "I'm really glad my sisters are fine. And next time we return to the island it could be under better circumstances. You know, it's not going to be too bad the next time we get back to the island."

"Yes, and I'm looking forward to returning," Diana said. "Our homecoming is going to be certain."

"Well, we're going to return to fulfill the promise I made for Cassie," Alia said. "I'm sure she's counting down the days."

"Don't have too much time now, doesn't she?" Kara asked. "The number of times she encountered trouble, she does need to be trained."

"Given her…heritage, there are going to be a lot more people who are going to be after her," Alia said. "I need to train her, and need to prepare her."

"If anyone can prepare her, you can," Diana said.

The oldest Amazon Princess sensed the calm before the storm. What trouble would visit them next? She could only begin to guess.

"Well, I'm sure my sisters will help me out," Alia said.

"Oh, I'm sure we can," Donna said. "I'm sure she's going to be fun when she hits her full maturity. All the energy she has."

"Aren't you robbing the cradle a little bit, Donna?" Kara asked.

"A little bit," Donna said. "But, you can't deny how much energy she has, and how fun she'll be in certain circumstances."

"Oh, I'm not denying it," Kara said. The woman's lips curled into a wide ear to ear grin. "Believe me, I'm not denying it."

"Glad you're not denying it," Donna said. She turned her attention to her sister. "And speaking of denying something….."

Diana whipped her head around. Her eyes stared down Donna. The two Amazon sisters locked eyes with each other. Time stood still when both parties stared each other down.

"What?" Diana asked.

"You know what," Donna said. "Are you ever going to admit you're wrong?"

Diana sighed. She hoped to avoid talking about what happened on the island. It ate her up in side who saved her.

"Yes, Donna, I understand what happened," Diana said. "I may have been….mistaken about Circe's intentions. Maybe not about her past intentions, which were well documented, but her present and future intentions. At least regarding Alia, but….you can't blame me about being a bit nervous around her."

"No, I couldn't," Alia said. "But you can tend to be a bit overprotective at the worst possible times. Combined with your attitude against Circe, well….it brought out the worst of you."

Diana sighed, talk about guilty as charged. Donna patted her sister on the shoulder.

"Given what she did in the past, none of us could blame you, really. But, you were wrong."

"Yes, I was wrong," Diana said.

"Oooh, can I get that in writing?"

Diana turned around and noticed Circe standing in front of her. The goddess appeared in front of her like a goddess normally wanted. Diana bounced to her feet.

"I guess old habits die rather hard," Circe said.

"You arrived just the second I admitted I might be wrong about you,' Diana said.

"Oh, I didn't hear a might about it," Circe said. "I heard you were wrong. Yes, princess, I heard it, and you said it in front of witnesses, including your own sisters."

Diana's arms crossed underneath her chest. Circe leaned at Diana and pinched her on the cheek for a second.

"I better not poke the bear too much," Circe said. "But, you were wrong about me."

"Yes, but don't press your luck," Diana said.

"Okay, fair enough," Circe said. "You were right in a way though."

Diana sat up straight. Donna, Kara, and Alia almost snickered in amusement. They had to hear Circe admit Diana was right.

"I've….not been the most up front person in the past," Circe said.

Diana snorted in response. Circe pressed on like Diana didn't say anything.

"So, you were right in some way, but you were wrong in an even bigger way."

"Of course," Diana said.

"I'll see all of you around," Circe said. "Good luck with everything."

"Are you threatening or are you promising?" Diana asked.

"I'm doing whatever you think I'm doing, honey," Circe said.

She flipped Diana's hair out of her face. Circe disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Diana with her arms folded. Alia turned to her for a moment.

"You know, it's really your fault you let her get her underneath her skin."

Diana gritted her teeth and groaned. Her sister placed her hand on her shoulder and started to rub it.

"I hate how much you're able to get under my skin and appease me," Diana said. "At the same time often enough."

"Yes," Alia said. "I'm really good at getting underneath your skin, but you already knew…didn't you?"

* * *

Rose and Lily exchanged a tense look with each other. Amanda and Emily walked a little bit in front of them, chattering about the concert which was going to come.

"So, is it just me?" Rose asked. "Or am I the only one who is regretting taking the twins to a concert?"

Lily paused for a second and heard the tell-tale signs of screaming girls in the building. And a few screaming boys as well, she wasn't one to judge. The older Evans sister shook her head.

"You know, they're rather subdued compared to a lot of the people inside."

"Is it bad a pair of six year olds is more subdued than….yeah, it's scary," Rose said.

"Oh, it's going to be the best, I can't believe we get to see Alison Blaire in concert," Amanda said.

"Yes, even though, we've seen her in person," Emily said.

"It doesn't count, because of the guy who attacked the autograph signing."

"Yeah, I guess it doesn't count," Emily said. "But, this is far better; we get seats in the front row. She'll be so close to us."

"And you can thank your sister for it when she gets here," Lily said.

Amanda folded her arms across her chest. The young girl frowned and looked around, almost expecting Alia to pop out of nowhere.

"When, is Alia getting here?" Amanda asked.

"About now actually."

Amanda and Emily almost jumped into the air. The two twins looked upset, and started to laugh as Alia showed up. They weren't the only ones who laughed. Lily bent over, barely able to keep a straight face.

"I forgot how amusing sneaking up on someone using magic could be," Lily said.

"Only because you used to do it, and no one could never pull it off on you," Rose said. "I swear, no matter no matter how many times, I could never sneak up on Lily. She could see everyone coming. She's really good."

"Oh, I'm not really good," Lily said. "Okay, good, a little bit, maybe."

"Yes, a little bit," Rose said.

"The real question is, did I get the drop on you?" Alia asked.

Lily grinned and leaned in towards her daughter. She placed a hand on her shoulder and smirked.

"Maybe you did, maybe you didn't. I won't really tell you though, will I?"

Alia chuckled in amusement. She noticed a group of girls trickling in. Twenty girls all in about total passed them. Some of them smiled and waved. Jean's friend, Kitty, looked rather excited. Illyana and Ginny tour themselves between bemusement and amusement.

"So, how many girls are coming?" Amanda asked.

"Enough where I had to buy out all of the good seats," Alia said.

"Really?" Amanda asked. "You could have gotten all of the good seats for free. I mean….you are friends with Alison, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," Alia said. "But, I picked up the seats, and gave her twice the money they were worth. After all of the poor girl has been through, she deserves to treat herself to something really nice."

'_Yes, she does,' _Betsy thought _'I approve as well.'_

'_I'm glad you do,' _Alia thought.

'_Meggan and I have some pretty prime seats,' _Betsy said. _'It's going to be a good cap off to a rather stressful trip to Vegas. Never pegged you to be the type who enjoyed pop music though.'_

'_Oh, not too big of a fan of pop music,' _Alia thought. _'But, Alison's music has a bit of a charm to which I have to enjoy.'_

'_Same here, love, same here,' _Betsy said.

Amanda tugged on Alia's sleeve. The warrior princess turned to her younger sister, bending down to face her.

"May I help you?" Alia asked.

"So, our mothers are going to visit paradise?" Amanda asked.

"Yes, we're wondering if we could visit," Emily said.

Both of the twins stuck their lips out and folded their arms. They widened their little puppy dog eyes for a little bit.

Rose locked eyes with Alia. She shook her head and grinned.

'_Don't get taken up by their powers,' _Rose thought.

"I told you, you'd get to visit when you're seven," Alia said. "And only if you behave yourselves."

"But, it's going to be forever!" Amanda yelled.

"It's only going to be for about three months," Rose said.

"Three months is a really long time," Amanda said.

"It isn't really," Emily said. "We can wait."

Amanda's gaze turned towards her sister. Amanda groaned and Emily threw her hands up in response, a small grin crossing her face.

"Please don't encourage them, to make us wait," Amanda said.

"What's the harm anyway?" Lily asked.

Alia stepped back and waved to Mary. Mary looked at her with a grin, as she followed Karen and Jaime into the concert hall. Hope joined them seconds later.

'_Talk about the last person I would have expected to see an Alison Blaire concert?'_

Alia steered away from the situation involved and her grin deepened.

"You haven't met your daughters for too long, Lily, trust me," Rose said. "I did tell you they were like us when we were younger."

"They aren't too bad," Lily said.

"Maybe," Rose said. "But, then again, I think we've had some overly romanticized memories for how things were like when we were children."

Lily bent down, her lips curling into a knowing grin. She would have to agree their memories were overly romanticized. Regardless, it was time to join her daughters for a good night of pop music.

"I need to go help, Zee. She needed an assistant for the opening act, and…..well she helped me during the adventure in Limbo."

"Send her my regards," Lily said.

* * *

Zatanna finished up her act on the stage in front of a packed house in Las Vegas. She had to say, she never experienced a crowd so loud.

The magician turned to her lovely assistant on the stage. Alia looked at her with a grin.

'_Did I not tell you this would be one of the most amazing things in the world?' _Alia thought.

The little clubs Zatanna performed at with her father was nothing compared to the packed venue. Without Alia's help, Zatanna thought the act would fall flat.

'_I thought I converted some of the skeptics into some believers of magic,' _Zatanna said. _'It's a bit harder to perform the tricks in the bright lights, then a dim club.'_

'_It does help you're not doing slight of hand, you're doing a bit of real magic,' _Alia thought.

'_Oh, doing real magic in the middle of a club has its challenges,' _Zatanna said. _'And you know, real magic involves a bit of hand movement, and you got to mask the bright lights properly.'_

'_I think people were a bit too distracted by the fact you were saying the incantations backwards,' _Alia thought.

'_Well, it's a talking point with a lot of people,' _Zatanna thought. _'And let's face it, if you have to verbalize spells, you can blast someone before they have a chance to figure out what the hell you're doing.' _

Zatanna smiled and waited for the applause to die down. The woman smiled at the biggest crowd she ever played in front of.

'_Wow, thank you for giving me quite the act to follow up,' _Alison thought. _'The two of you were something else.'_

'_No, I know you can follow up our little twenty minute smoke and mirrors act,' _Zatanna said.

'_I'm pretty sure they've been clapping for about twenty minutes, haven't they?' _Alison asked.

Zatanna cleared her throat. She rose up on the stage and smiled.

"Thank you, you've all been a great audience. But, I couldn't expect anything else from some of the best, most passionate fans in the world!"

Everyone cheered for a moment.

"But, none of you bought a ticket to see me, did you?"

The cheers went up in the air.

"I've hogged up too much of the spotlight on the stage. You don't really want to see me, do you? You want to see the star of the concert!"

Alia smiled and took the microphone.

"Give it up for the woman who dazzles you all, no matter wherever you go. One of the hottest young pop stars in the modern age, live and in living color for the very first time. Put your hands together for Alison Blaire."

The pop the fans gave were louder than anything else. Alia and Zatanna left the stage.

"Thank you to Zatanna and Alia for their amazing performance," Alison said. She smiled as the applause got even louder. "So, are you ready to be dazzled?"

Zatanna and Alia took their seats, long enough to be bombarded by the cheers. The moment Alison stepped onto the stage, all nervousness left her.

"I'm going to start off with a brand new song, something I've never shared with anyone, which isn't even out on CD. So, hope you enjoy my latest song, Emerald-Eyed Savior!"

A few gazes looked at Alia. Kara in particular grinned at her girlfriend.

'_Emerald-Eyed Savior?' _Kara asked.

'_Cheesy, but I'll allow it.'_

'_Oh, it is wonderful,' _Kori said. She hugged Alia from behind in her chair. _'The power of friendship and magic, all rolled into one with music! It is so glorious."_

Alia would have to agree. The song wasn't too bad, even with its sappiness.

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	54. Return Home

**Chapter Fifty-Three: Return Home.**

* * *

Alia reflected on the events which had passed. Six months ago, she helped repel the invaders from Themyscira. Granted, it had been far longer from the perspective of the lovely women on the island. And the girls returned several times since then for short visits, but this time, Diana, Alia, Kara, and Donna returned for something really special.

Kara directed a smile at Alia's direction as a group of Amazons made their presence known on the island.

'_They really are excited for your return, aren't they?' _Kara asked.

'_They're excited for the return of all of us,' _Alia thought. _'I think after all which has happened, they should be fairly excited for us to be back here. And we're going to stay for a long time, this time.'_

'_Well, there's a pretty good reason of our returning happening, isn't it?' _Kara thought.

Lily, Rose, Amanda, and Emily followed them onto the island through the gateway. The twins broke out into smiles when they took in their first glimpses of paradise. Their training would begin very shortly, but they would take a nice, long, look at the island, and everything it had to offer.

'_And I see your sisters are as eager to begin training as you were,' _Diana thought. Amusement twinkled in the eye of the Amazon Princess.

'_I've been building it up in their minds, and I did promise them when they turned seven they would get to make the trip,' _Alia thought. _'And they have been on their best behavior, especially for them.'_

'_Which is saying something, isn't it?' _Donna thought after a brief second.

Hippolyta arrived and all eyes locked onto the Queen of the Amazons. The regal beauty approached the island, a smile passing over her face. A few people applauded her as she approached the edge of the island. More people applauded her when the Queen approached in greater prominence.

"Thank you to my sisters, and our guests, which I consider to be as good as our sisters as well," Hippolyta said. "Thank you for coming out today. I'd like to welcome my three daughters home for a more extended stay. Their journey into the outside world, the world we long since shielded ourselves from, for too long, ended up being rather productive. I hope we can continue to extend inroads."

The Amazons applauded Hippolyta's words. The Queen of the Amazons smiled and waited for the applause to die down.

"Many of us have been through our own challenges as of late. The rogue Amazons who have settled elsewhere, I still personally extend the olive branch to them. I hope one day, the fences can be mended and they can return to Themyscira where we can all prosper. The world works better when it stands united."

Alia clapped the loudest of all for her adopted mother's words. A grin passed over her face as she turned to Donna, Diana, and Kara. All of the girls smiled in response.

'_She is right,' _Diana said. _'Even if the attitude works a fair bit better in theory than it ever will in any kind of practice.'_

'_Guess, a lot of things work out better than theory, then in practice,' _Alia thought. _'But, it gives us something to work for and to hope for in the future.'_

Hippolyta smiled and allowed the Amazons to continue to applaud. Not all of them looked pleased with their rogue sisters. The incident with Queen Bee left some pretty fresh wounds, even though Queen Bee was now underneath the control of the Amazons and a pretty docile pet all things considered.

"We will work towards a grander future," Hippolyta said. "And I look towards the future sitting here, my three daughters will be a huge part of it."

The spotlight swung over to the trio of Amazon princesses. They tried to look respectful.

"But, the efforts of my youngest daughter, Alia, has gone far and above beyond the call of duty. She has proven herself to be far and beyond any expectations. I would not want to put pressure on her, but she should be proud of everything."

Kara smiled and stole a kiss from Alia as she looked on in shock. Donna and Diana laughed with a smile.

"Thank you," Alia said. "But, I'm as only as good as my teachers. I'd like to thank my mother, my two older sisters, and Artemis for all of the times she knocked me on my ass during training."

Some of the Amazons looked amused. Artemis in particular leaned towards Alia, a smile crossing her face. The great warrior took pride in the part she played in Alia's ascension.

"It was a pleasure working with you, Princess Alia," Artemis said. Her lips curled into a knowing smile. "And I'd like to work with you even more in the future, and maybe one day, the student can master the teacher."

"Well, the student has become a teacher in her own right," Hippolyta said. "Princess Alia has brought Cassandra Sandsmark, a young girl of an interesting heritage, underneath her wing. She has agreed to teach young Cassandra in the ways of the Amazons. Cassandra and her mother are here with us today."

The blonde teenager looked on in awe, and her mother looked around as well. Alia chuckled.

'_I'd have to say Helena looks to be more in awe than her mother does,' _Diana said.

'_Must have something to do with her line of work,' _Alia thought.

'_Must be,' _Diana said.

"Alia has followed in the footsteps of her sisters, by taking Cassandra underneath her wing. In two week's time, upon Cassandra's fourteenth birthday, her training will culminate in an Ascension ceremony. On the day after, Alia will undergo her third maturation, where she will be twenty-one years of age and a full adult in the eyes of the Amazons."

'_Time in Limbo,' _Alia thought.

'_We know,' _Kara thought.

'_Just making sure everyone did,' _Alia thought. _'You never assume as much, because those who assume…..'_

'_Make an ass out of everyone involved,' _Donna thought.

'_Pretty much,' _Alia thought. _'And Helena didn't really seem too surprised when she learned the truth of about Cassie's father. You know, the Zeus thing.'_

'_It's honestly a surprise Zeus doesn't have more bastard children roaming around,' _Diana thought. _'Although, for a god, he's gotten rather sloppy at what he's done in recent years.'_

Alia didn't want to think about Zeus and his conquests right now. Who did want to think about what the king of gods got up to at any time? Alia shook her head and took a moment to reflect on the last several months and realized everything ended up quite well overall.

X-X-X

The next morning, Alia shook herself awake. It took the Amazon Princess a couple of moments before it came to her she visited Olympus. The last time she visited the home of the goddesses(and gods), it was to bring a dire warning. The Amazon Princess took a step around.

A nice emerald-green toga matching her eyes fit around her body. Alia took a quick stride forward, her hips swaying a little bit. She did look really good.

"Alia, welcome….I'm so glad we meet under much better circumstances this time."

Alia's lips curled into a smile the moment her eyes locked onto Hera. The Queen of the Goddesses approached her in all of her regal glory. A stunning woman, which made Alia question Zeus's wandering eye. He really did blow it with his ex-wife in many respects. The moment when divorce became a huge part of marriage, Hera dropped him like a bad habit.

"I'm glad we could meet after the last time," Alia said. "Darkseid has fallen, at least for the moment."

"All gods, rather good, evil, or neutral, will never truly fall completely," Hera said. "You'd be wise to keep one eye open in the future."

Alia smiled, talk about being on the same track of mind. She approached the Queen of Goddesses, who led her inside a garden area. It shined with a bright light.

"We were correct to rescue you from your fate," Hera said. "Albus Dumbledore thought he had the best intentions in mind sending you to your aunt and uncle. But, men who have been told they were right for so long, often assume so, without taking other things into mind."

"Yes," Alia said, with a smile. "And now, the world…"

"The world is changing," Hera said. "I didn't know it to be possible for a world so far behind to evolve to be honest. And speaking of evolving."

Alia smiled. Hera took her in for a brief second. The wandering eyes of the Queen of the Goddess appraising her created a tingle in the bottom of Alia's stomach. Alia shifted her head, widening a crisp smile appearing on her body.

"You in particular have exceeded every single expectation given to you," Hera said. "The world is entering a new age of heroes, not seen since the days of the legends of the past."

"There are many others stepping up other than myself," Alia said.

"Yes," Hera said.

The comfortable couch appeared before the two of them. Hera invited Alia to sit herself down on the couch and make herself at home.

Far be it for Alia to ignore such an inviting invitation from the Queen of the Goddesses. She plopped herself down on the couch next to Hera.

"You have grown into a true, heroine, Alia," Hera said. "You've earned all of your success. You've fought through many challenges. But you never backed down."

"I haven't been taught to back down," Alia said.

"You have the qualities deep inside you which can't be taught," Hera said. "And I'm proud to watch your development and watch you grow and flourish like the amazing individual you are. And the amazing individual you can be."

Hera allowed herself to be enchanted by Alia's gorgeous emerald eyes. Two eyes which really did draw a person in and make them do as she wished. Hera's gratitude swelled when she realized Alia stood on the side of the angels. If she had been a cruel woman, those powers could be used for evil.

"And like many true heroines, you can inspire a future generation of heroines," Hera said. "Young Cassandra is the proof of this. She will grow underneath your tutelage."

"The goddesses knew I had these qualities," Alia said.

"We suspected," Hera said. "We have been mistaken in the past."

"But, you're not mistaken this time, are you?" Alia asked.

Hera smiled. She brushed a lock of hair away from Alia's eyes so she could look into the eyes of their chosen warrior princess properly.

"This is one instance where I'm happy to say we were not mistaken," Hera said. "And I'm glad we aren't for the reasons which might be obvious to you."

Hera placed her hand on Alia's thigh. Temptation visited the Queen of all Goddesses, but Alia's beauty tempted all, in the worst way possible.

"You've allowed the Phoenix to become free of Darkseid," Hera said. "And you tamed her as well. You should be rather pleased because of your accomplishments."

"I am," Alia said.

"As well you should," Hera said. "The goddesses of Olympus wish to celebrate your accomplishments and the fact you will be reaching your third maturity."

Alia grinned. She could hardly wait, because of all of the power she figured to acquire. Her sisters stood at the ready, preparing to help her with everything.

"Come with me," Hera said.

Hera rose to her feet. The woman's curvy ass showed an enticing invitation. Alia couldn't do anything else other than follow her.

A part of Alia wondered if Hera tried to seduce her. Had it been Circe, or even Aphrodite, she might be more inclined to believe such a thing would occur. But, straight and narrow Hera, the Queen of all of the Goddesses? Such a thing proved to be outlandish.

'_Going to enjoy the view, I guess.'_

"Enjoying the view?" Hera asked.

"What?"

"Oh, you can see everything from up here, you can see everything around the entire world. You look out over the balcony edge, and you can be anywhere in the world. It's an amazing view, isn't it?"

Alia smiled, she couldn't really argue with Hera's assessment. The view up here was amazing, nothing compared to the view in front of her. The view in front of Alia redefined the term amazing.

* * *

Aphrodite, Demeter, Hestia, Athena, and Artemis the goddess all joined Hera and Alia as they arrived at the party.

"I'm glad you all could come," Hera said.

"Are you kidding?" Aphrodite asked. "We wouldn't miss this for the world. The first time we get to meet Alia in the flesh….granted we could have dragged her here any time for a chat, if we really wanted to."

The love goddess swooped down towards Alia and captured her lips into kiss for a moment. Alia experienced the taste of the lips of the pinnacle of beauty.

"Of course, you would be shameless enough to kiss her ten seconds after she appeared in front of her face," Hestia said.

"You're just jealous you didn't have a chance to kiss her lovely, divine, lips first," Aphrodite said. Her eyes twinkled for a moment.

"Wow," Alia said.

"And see, speechless," Aphrodite said. "It's nice to see I haven't lost my touch even after all of these years."

"You haven't," Hera said. "And you helped me through a rough time."

"Divorce being invented worked out quite nicely for you, to be honest," Aphrodite said. "But, we have gifts. A couple of the….safe gods might come by."

"Ares, Hades, and my ex-husband were most certainly not invited," Hera said.

"Are you crazy?" Aphrodite asked. "Zeus is plotting how to get in our warrior princess's place, as we speak."

"Oh, as if I didn't have enough problems with his sons of Zeus trying about the same thing," Alia groaned. Aphrodite placed her hand on the back of Alia's hair and started to play with it. "Speaking of which…"

"Thirty three percent of them were," Hera said. "There's a margin of error, but generally speaking, about thirty three percent of the Sons of Zeus were really bastard sons of zeus to be honest."

"And honestly, were you expecting any less?" Athena asked.

"No, we were all expecting more," Aphrodite said. She grinned for a moment. "But, I don't think we have to worry about any bastard sons of Zeus any more."

"What, Zeus is taking a vow of Chasity?" Alia asked.

All of the goddesses cracked up in laughter at Alia's joke. She grew a little red around the ears in embarrassment. Aphrodite placed her hand on Alia's neck and smiled, running her hands on the back of her neck.

"Beautiful, smart, intelligent, with a good sense of humor," Aphrodite said. "You know, it's hard to say why the guys wouldn't go after you. But, they don't really pay much attention to your virtues."

"More like her rack and her ass," Hestia said.

"And her legs, you can't forget her legs," Hera said.

"Really, I thought you were above this?" Artemis asked.

"Just like you were above staring at her ass?" Athena asked.

"And you only noticed because you were looking as well."

The two goddesses frowned at each other. Hera cleared her throat and caused Athena and Artemis to stand up and look at each other.

"Ladies, you can stall the bickering at least for now," Hera said.

"Especially, when I'm in the room and can hear pretty much every word you say," Alia said. "You goddesses can be pretty shameless."

"Technically speaking, we're the ultimate voyeurs thanks to our gifts," Aphrodite said. "All of the people we can look into. Not we want to look on at some people."

"Yes, some things are best left behind closed doors," Hestia said.

"Oh, I didn't really want to think….seriously, what have you two been watching?" Athena asked.

Hera cleared her throat. The other goddesses stood up straight and firm.

"We shouldn't forget the reason why we're here. Some time ago, a young child was left at the doorstep, and rescued by our chosen Queen of Amazons. And she has grown into the beautiful young woman we see before us today."

"Yes," Aphrodite said. "And I have a gift for her, if you don't mind."

"You didn't have to," Alia said.

"Yes, I know, but I wanted to," Aphrodite said. She handed the gift wrapped box over to Alia.

Alia took the gift wrapped box into her hand and smiled. The box rested in the palm of her hand. A silver necklace with a red pendent shined out in front of her.

"It's beautiful, Aphrodite," Alia said.

"And fully functional," Aphrodite said. "It will discourage the people you don't want to get fresh with you, and encourage the ones which you want to get fresh with you."

"Oh, I see," Alia said.

"Yes, I know you'd see, darling," Aphrodite said. She flipped the strand of hair away from Alia's face. "I have a feeling as you grow, you'd want to get certain people away from you. And while you can defend yourself, it never hurts to have an added layer of protection."

"How does it discourage?" Hera asked.

"Well, anyone who tries anything with our beloved princess will have a little trouble performing up to their high standards," Aphrodite said. "But, if I had to hazard a guess, their performance would be beneath standards to begin with."

Hera shook her head.

"It counts as love," Aphrodite said. "It counts as tough love."

"Open mine next," Athena said.

"Oh, it's a book," Hestia said. "Spoilers, isn't it?"

Demeter smiled and shook her head.

"It's not just a book," Athena said. "It's one I'm sure Aphrodite will find exciting as well."

"Oh, you naughty, naughty minx," Aphrodite said.

Alia opened the book and flipped through it. Some interesting ideas in the book and it came with illustrations as well.

"Are some of these even possible?" Alia asked.

"With a little bit of creativity, anything can be possible," Aphrodite said. "And for most people, those positions really aren't possible. But I'm sure someone of your heritage could."

"My turn," Demeter said.

The beautiful woman swept Alia into her arms and leaned on in. She pressed her lips onto Alia's with a lengthy kiss. Their tongues tangled together with domination.

"And now, if you choose, you can have children with your mates."

"Oh?" Alia asked.

"Yes, if you choose to," Demeter said. "You can impregnate any women you wish. Or alternatively, you can chose to bear children yourself."

"Ah the perks of being the goddess of fertility," Aphrodite said. "Where she can make a man pregnant, even though it defies pretty much every single law of sanity."

A morbid bit of curiosity struck Alia. She almost regretted asking, but couldn't resist, despite common sense almost getting the better of her.

"How does a man give birth?" Alia asked.

"Honey, you really don't want to know," Aphrodite said. "And I believe Hestia is up next for her gift."

* * *

Hera escorted Alia off of Olympus, with a smile on her face.

"Blessed by an entire group of goddesses," Alia said. "Really, is there anything more to say?"

"You have been blessed long before we've given our approval," Hera said. "And I have one final gift before you return back to your sisters."

"Oh?" Alia asked.

"Yes, indeed," Hera said. "And I know you didn't expect a gift, but I wish to let you know you're welcomed up here upon your 21st birthday and any other time you wish. You don't have to wait for one of the goddesses to summon you."

"How am I supposed to accomplish coming up here?" Alia asked. "It's not like I can take the train to Olympus."

"No, not the train, more like….a portal," Hera said. "Keyed into you and anyone in your collective. I'm sure Diana in particular will be over the moon to see us up close and personal."

Alia smiled. Hera pressed the snow globe in her hand.

"Granted, an airport souvenir isn't always the most ideal of portals, but….you have to take what you can get."

"Yes, I agree," Alia said.

"So, farewell, and good fortune," Hera said. "I'll see you soon."

Hera hated to ruin her ex-husband's well placed plans one more time, but he started it. She just finished it.

Alia vanished off of Olympus. She returned to her room.

"Alia?"

Cassie arrived at the doorway over her room. The daughter of Zeus frowned as she looked at Alia.

"You're glowing?" Cassie asked.

"Sorry, I just took a trip to Olympus," Alia said.

"Oh, so cool!" Cassie yelled. "Do you think I'll be able to visit Olympus someday?"

"Someday, maybe," Alia said. "But, first we have training. You need to be ready for the Ascension ceremony you know."

"I hope I don't embarrass myself out there," Cassie said.

"Well, if you train hard, you shouldn't have anything to worry about."

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	55. Happy Birthday, Cassie

Chapter of the week poll for week seven is linked to the profile. Vote if you haven't already.

* * *

**Chapter Fifty-Four: Happy Birthday, Cassie.**

* * *

Cassandra Sandsmark struggled to draw in a breath. Sweat coated the face of the blonde demi-goddess. Her hair stood up in all kinds of disarray, to the point where she looked like a mess. Most likely because she was a mess, the young woman could barely keep her head above and focus on her opponent.

Alia smiled and took a step back, giving Cassie room to breathe, at least for a few seconds. The warrior princess pushed the young demi-goddess to her limits. A part of Alia thought Cassie hadn't reached those limits just yet. She had to find another couple of buttons to push.

"Attack me, again!"

Cassie's eyebrows rose up. She wondered how mental Alia had become to want to be attacked again. The demi-goddess balled her fists up and tried to strike Alia. Alia darted underneath Cassie's punches. A jab cut through the air. Alia turned around from the fist and caught Cassie with a glancing blow to the side of the ribs. Cassie staggered back, the wind having been knocked out of her.

Another series of jabs stunned the daughter of Zeus. Cassie returned fire, dodging Alia's attack. She tried to take Alia down by flipping her over onto her back. This moment of foolishness did not go precisely as Cassie had planned. Her arm wrapped around Alia's and she struggled to turn her over. Sweat poured down Cassie's face.

Alia gripped Cassie around her waist and took her down to the ground. Cassie squirmed underneath Alia's grip. Alia pinned the demi-goddess face first onto the ground.

The Sandsmark girl closed her eyes. She felt Alia's hot breath against her ear and the woman's crotch against her ass. Alia decided to put her waistlock a bit higher and her arms put against Cassie's breasts.

"Cassie, remember to focus, no matter what."

Cassie closed her eyes. Puberty blessed her a lot, but it also left her with certain carnal desires. Carnal desires Alia tempted time and time again. The warrior princess rose to her feet, shaky legs and a shakier amount of breathing. Her heart steadied a couple of beats in her chest, and Cassie stood up straight.

If Alia wanted her to bring it, then Cassie would bring it all the way, and all night long. The woman closed her fist and rushed towards her.

Alia smiled. Cassie tried to break through her defenses. Alia blocked the punch. Another punch, and Alia blocked it. Alia flipped onto her feet. Cassie charged her with an attempted spear, but Alia grabbed her arm and turned it. Alia brought Cassie down to the ground.

'_A lot of energy,' _Kara thought.

'_Not a lot of tact,' _Diana thought. _'She could have been good enough to defeat you, if she just had a bit more tact you know.'_

'_Maybe, maybe not,' _Alia thought.

Cassie rose to her feet. Eyes flared with determination. This time, she charged Alia. Alia grabbed her by the waist and flipped her over to the ground.

One more time, Cassie crashed to the ground. The wind knocked out of her body from hitting the ground so hard.

"You have to stop using too much energy for simple attacks," Alia said. "Let it relax, let it flow naturally. Don't worry about impressing me, just go in and attack me. Attack me and bring me down. Throw everything you have at me."

Alia's words hammered Cassie's eardrums. Cassie rose to a standing position. The woman's heart fluttered against her chest. Charging on in, Cassie aimed another punch at Alia's head. Alia dodged the punch and hurled herself over the top of Cassie's head. Alia wrapped up Cassie's arm for a moment.

Cassie tried to use Alia's momentum. A sloppy roll, but never the less, it left Alia off balance. Cassie bounced up and tries for a swinging punch. Alia dodged it and grabbed Cassie around the waist one more time. Cassie broke the grip after a second.

Alia flipped up into the air, and Cassie caught her on the way down. The two engaged in hand to hand activities. Cassie crouched down, with an attempted double leg, but she planted herself face-first into the ground.

"Okay, and time," Alia said.

Cassie struggled up to her feet for a second.

"I swore I almost got you, there," Cassie said. "And….I didn't come close, didn't I?"

"You fought valiantly," Alia said. "Most times in battle, you don't have to worry about fighting one on one if you have allies to back you up. And you only have to fight one against one if you have to wait for someone to be summoned. If you have to wait for such a backup."

"Right, right, yeah," Cassie said. "I don't really know how you do it half of the time."

"How I do what?" Alia asked.

She escorted Cassie to stone bench. Alia summoned a cool drink of water which Cassie took eagerly. The woman sucked down the water like it was her dying breath.

"Careful, you don't want to drink too much water too fast," Alia said.

"Sorry," Cassie said. "So, the Ascension ceremony is tomorrow."

"Fight valiantly, and no one will think less of you," Alia said. She reached and grabbed Cassie's hand, squeezing it. "I went up against Diana, and she defeated me. Diana did the same thing against Hippolyta. The Ascension ceremony rarely merits a victory for the ascended."

Cassie figured as much. She was going against the woman who placed her ass on a platter and handed it to Cassie. Countless Amazons watching weren't going to make things much better, as far as Cassie could tell.

Actually, Cassie closed her eyes. Countless Amazons watching were going to make things far worse than they were.

"I know what you're thinking," Alia said. "You're going to worry about freezing up in the midst of an entire group of Amazons."

"No, I'm not going to worry about freezing up," Cassie said. "I'm worrying about freaking out."

'_The girl has a point,' _Kara thought. _'But, I think she'll do okay, if she just blocks everything out.'_

"Don't, don't worry about it, Cassie, trust me," Alia said. "You have strength and you have abilities which are fine-tuned. Channel them into something great, and give it your best shot. I hope to get a fight which will make me sweat."

"You don't sweat!" Cassie yelled.

"Oh, talk to my girlfriends, I'm sure they could tell you otherwise," Alia said. She winked at Cassie, which caused her to shiver. "Just pretend everyone isn't there."

Cassie experienced gratitude Alia didn't tell her to imagine everyone in her underwear. And just thinking about imagining Amazons in their underwear and even less, especially Alia, Diana, and Donna, made Cassie in desperate need for some relief. Or maybe a shower.

Puberty hit her hard and the desires which hit her were a bit of a bitch.

* * *

Lily sat on the island, enjoying the splender. You really had to be a negative person not to enjoy the beauty of paradise. While Lily noticed glimpses of it, you could only see so much of it from the Temple of the Goddesses. The redhead's lips twisted into a smile as she looked around.

'_Stunning, absolutely beautiful.'_

"You really do enjoy the island, don't you?"

Rose popped up at Lily's shoulder. Lily turned around with a grin on her face to look at her sister.

"After where I've been, you'd enjoy the island as well," Lily said. "And let's face it, I think we both need a few days away. Between raising the twins and the work you've done, I don't know sometimes how you maintain your sanity."

"Lots of practice, sis, lots of practice," Rose said.

"Which is what's the best thing with my sisters."

Rose and Lily looked up in time for Alia to join them.

"So, are you enjoying the island?" Alia asked.

Lily gave her daughter one of those "are you kidding?" looks which caused Alia to break out into a fit of giggles. She rose her fist and almost stuffed it into her mouth.

'_She did answer your question in epic fashion,' _Donna thought. _'And thank you for saddling me with the twin terrors by the way….they aren't too bad today.'_

'_Well, I'll make it up for you later,' _Alia said. _'Trust me.'_

Lily leaned out, placing her hand underneath her chin in deep thought.

"After Shaw fell, it left several new avenues open for the Society," Lily said. "Selene really counted down the days before she masterminded his downfall, didn't she?"

"She eagerly anticipated the moment where she would finish him off," Alia said. "The woman takes a lot of pride in her work. You have to figure she does a good job."

"Better than most people's best," Lily said. "Rose has a lot of work to do but….."

"Emma has been useful in helping me out, and now you're back on your feet, I'm going to get more help than I need," Rose said. "Don't worry, Lily, everything will work out in the end, and the Society will be stronger than ever."

"I'm sure it will be something amazing," Alia said. "There's a new generation coming, and the Society is going to rise to a brand new level."

"Well, with recruits like you and Betsy, and Emma as well, I feel the Society is going to go to the highest height," Lily said. "And I'm sure you'll help Rose and I feel out the worthiness of future recruits."

"Of course," Alia said. "I'll do anything I can to help you make sure the recruits are worthy."

"Excellent," Lily said. "It's appreciated, trust me."

Alia smiled. She leaned back and allowed Lily and Rose to go over some old business, business Alia already knew. She half listened in on the conversation, and half didn't.

'_Looks like there are going to be several new collective members coming soon,' _Kara thought. _'The Society is a great recruiting ground for them.'_

'_The best,' _Betsy said. _'Granted, some of the people who have our eye on are a bit bitchy and have attitudes. But, there are ways to fuck the bitchiness out of them.'_

'_And I'm sure you have your own ideas,' _Alia said.

'_Well, I don't know what gave you….actually I did,' _Betsy said.

The girls in the bond link laughed in amusement.

'_So, how is Cassie doing?' _Diana asked.

'_She's getting ready, she's more determined to prove herself than I was,' _Alia said.

'_I find that hard to believe,' _Diana thought. _'Are you sure you're just not understating how much you wanted to prove yourself out there in battle?'_

'_Maybe I am,' _Alia thought. _'But, I want to see Cassie do her best, better than her best even.'_

'_She's really trained hard over the last six months,' _Donna thought. _'And I think she'll surprise us all out there.'_

'_I'm not about to be the first Amazon to lose to the ascended,' _Alia said. _'I like Cassie, but I'm not about to let her win because I like her. If she beats me, she's going to really earn it.'_

'_You're going to make her sweat for it,' _Gwen thought.

'_Yes, pretty much,' _Alia thought. _'And I'm going to make her sweat for it in a good way later on.'_

'_You can be pretty wicked, you know,' _Donna thought.

'_I know, it's amazing,' _Kara thought.

"Alia, I've had some high expectations of you," Lily said. Alia turned and raised her eyebrow. "Well any mother will have some high expectations of their daughter. They want them to succeed, be the very best they could be."

"Yes," Alia said.

"Well, you've exceeded every single expectation I could have," Lily said. "And I couldn't be more proud of how well you've come."

"I couldn't agree more."

Hippolyta turned up and Alia smiled. Her two mothers exchanged a look at each other.

'_If I didn't know any better, I'd say those two were undressing each other with their eyes,' _Karen thought.

'_If you didn't know any better?' _Jaime thought. _'It is because they are….oh all of us are doing fine by the way. After Alia stabilized us, we can think a lot clearly now.'_

'_Nothing like a good orgy to make a mind more clear,' _Ginny thought.

Alia smiled at the interplay and turned to Hippolyta.

"Is it time already?" Alia asked.

"Not quite, but if I know you, my daughter, you'd want to be prepared."

Alia thought her mother, both of them, pegged her quite nicely. She wanted to get ready and be prepared. Cassie waited for her and Alia wouldn't want to disappoint her young protégé.

* * *

Cassie stretched, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. Nerves visited her body at the worst possible time. Her heart started to thump against her chest at a rapid fire rate. The young woman closed her eyes, taking a long deep breath. Her breathing escalated a little bit.

In about five minutes, she would go out there.

"Don't worry, just imagine Alia in her underwear. Or just imagine her, imagining you in her underwear. I forget how it goes sometimes."

Cassie jumped up and knocked Donna to the ground. The middle Amazon Princess hit the ground with a solid smack. Donna groaned after Cassie pressed her down onto the ground.

"Not bad, but you're not fighting me out there, are you?" Donna asked. "Otherwise, you'd be in pretty good shape."

Cassie backed off from her.

"Your reflexes aren't bad," Donna said. "I'm sure Alia's told you this a lot of times, but just go out there and fight your best. No one will think any worse of you if you go out there and do your best."

"Right, my best," Cassie said.

"Yes, Cassandra, you have done well in training," another Amazon said. She walked into the room. "Alia has lost only to Diana, Hippolyta, and Artemis in combat. Do not worry yourself about beating her. Rather, consider what would happen if you take her to her limits."

Cassie smiled and walked out. Hippolyta gave her speech. Being before the Queen of the Amazons caused the butter flies in Cassie's stomach to return in full force.

Coming face to face with Alia, dressed in her gear caused Cassie to grow weaker in the knees. She almost fell down.

'_Okay, Cassie, you wanted this. You can do this.'_

The Amazon who talked to Cassie sat down next to Helena. Helena turned to her.

"So, no hard feelings about the Zeus thing?"

The Amazon chuckled for a few seconds.

"Mythology does portray me to be a vengeful bitch at times. And while I do have my moments, it's really nothing compared to what they tell me about. And my husband had a lot more coming than I'm willing to give him."

The woman placed her hand around Helena Sandsmark's shoulders and squeezed it.

"Naturally, you had the most unfulfilling two minutes of your life. The thing about a lot of gods is, they can choose to blow their partner's minds, but they choose to get themselves off and disappear into the night."

"At least I got a daughter out of it," Helena said.

"And you wouldn't train her for the world. And another thing about gods is they can choose not to knock up their partners, but they can't put in the effort to do so. Hence why they have a lot of bastard sons with abandonment issues, and daddy issues, and every other issue you can have."

"You've had a lot of time to think about this," Helena said. "As a goddess….you witnessed every one of these, didn't you?"

"I didn't need to, with my ex-husband bragging about the latest mortal he deflowered to his fellow gods," Hera said.

Helena turned her attention from their mutual dislike from Zeus and to her daughter's performance in the middle of the field.

Cassie's feet drug on the ground as she made her way into the center of the ring. Alia stood up against her. This time, they fought with swords. Cassie wondered if she bit off more than she could chew.

Alia tried for the first attack, but Cassie blocked it. The swords clung together in an attack, sending sparks flying together. The two of them collided together.

Cassie bent at the knees and tried to attack Alia. The metal clashed together one more time.

The cheers from the ground added to Cassie's tension. She managed to disarm Alia of her sword. Seconds later, Alia blocked the sword with her hands and pulled it from Cassie's hands.

The blade ended up in Alia's hands. Cassie stepped back, as Alia had a weapon, but Cassie didn't. Alia made her way towards Cassie.

Cassie blocked the sword with her bracelets, causing sparks to fly. She tried to slide underneath Alia's legs to take her down, only for Alia to spin around at the last second. She caught her foot on the back swing.

Cassie propelled into the air. She fired off a series of jabs and kicks. Alia dodged all of them, with Cassie nearly tiring herself out in the attempt to beat her.

A second wind visited the warrior in training. Cassie threw herself up over Alia's head and landed on the ground.

Alia tried to spear her when Cassie landed on her feet. Cassie grabbed Alia's arm and tried to turn her around. Only to find Alia to grab her around the waist and throw her back over her head with a suplex. Alia scissored around Cassie's waist and rolled her around the ground.

Cassie broke the grip, but staggered around. She weaved underneath the attacks, but found herself hoisted onto Alia's shoulder.

Alia hurled Cassie down to the ground. Cassie tried to kip up, only to eat a huge snap punch to the face. Cassie staggered one more time, and started to fight out from underneath.

A couple of the frantic blows blew through Alia's defenses. Cassie dipped behind Alia and wrapped her arms around Alia's neck, trying to cut off the flow of oxygen from her to knock her out.

Alia ran up the stone wall and back flipped, causing her to land on top of Cassie, and break the grip around her neck. The Amazon Princess rolled over to her feet, and jumped on top of Cassie, pinning her to the ground.

Cassie struggled against Alia's grip. The Amazon straddled the top of her, pinning the arms behind the blonde warrior's head.

"And, your winner, Princess Alia of Themyscira!"

Cassie squirmed out from underneath Alia. She saw the drops of sweat coming from Alia's face as her hair stuck to her face.

"Wow, I guess you really do sweat," Cassie said.

Alia smiled. Cassie folded her arms, wincing a bit because Alia knocked the wind out of her. One of the healers moved over to tend to the two warriors.

"So, best two out of three?"

* * *

Despite losing in the battle, Cassie stood on the high. She took a long good look at herself in the mirror, dressed in Amazon garb. She didn't look like the dorky little kid anymore after she went through her maturation.

Stunning, almost five foot eight inches, with perfect breasts, and flat toned stomach, shapely hips, and long dazzling legs. Cassie caught a sight of her beautiful face and smiled. She licked her own lips.

She looked like she was a young adult more than a teenager. Super-powered puberty hit her hard and puberty hit her good.

No matter how hard puberty hit her, she wanted someone else to hit her hard. Cassie sunk down onto the bed, and fiddled with the clasp of her armor.

"Are you having trouble?"

Cassie turned around.

"Yes, I can't quite get the hang of it."

Alia smiled and reached over to undo Cassie's top half of her armor with practiced ease. The woman's bare back revealed itself to the entire world. Alia motioned for Cassie to rise to a standing position.

"Gorgeous, and don't let anyone tell you any differently," Alia said.

Cassie's red top underneath was snugger than ever before. Alia reached down and pulled down the bottoms, revealing her to be dressed in a pair of tight black shorts underneath her armor.

"Room for improvement," Alia said. "But you did an excellent job in winning. And you got your armor, you can be trained to the next level. And the real fun begins, when I hand you over to Artemis."

Cassie heard stories from Donna and Kara about Artemis. Artemis, one of the only three people, who could defeat Alia in battle, proved to be a formidable woman. Gorgeous, but scary, and those two attributes combined made Artemis amazing.

"I've won though," Alia said. "And I'm claiming my prize."

"What prize?" Cassie asked.

"You."

Cassie gasped, but even more when Alia's soft lips found hers. She had dreams which started like this like this. Alia's hands explored her body.

It took a few seconds before Cassie returned the kiss. Her tongue battled Alia's for domination. The two pressed up against each other, going chest to chest. Despite Cassie's achieving a growth spurt in the area of her chest, nothing about her matched up to Alia.

"Don't worry, honey, I'll be gentle. Trust me."

* * *

**To Be Continued. **


	56. What the Future Holds

**Chapter Fifty-Five: What the Future Holds. **

* * *

Chloe took a look at the newspaper. Claire and Lana decided to indulge her with a minor amount of interest, although the two of them didn't share her interest for the strange. Well they were interested, but perhaps they should have said they didn't share her passion for the strange. Actually, passion really was the ideal world, neither of them could share.

"Wow, I don't really know what to say about all of this," Chloe said. "I thought moving to Smallville would be boring. I mean, no offense."

"Believe me, I wish you were right," Claire said.

"Are you kidding?" Chloe asked. "Everything is going to be really interesting. Look at all of the costumed heroes popping up."

"Well, the only reason why there needs to be heroes is there's a whole of villains," Claire said. "Someone is going to have to save the world."

Chloe nodded at Claire's words. They made a whole lot of sense to be honest. She allowed the breezes in the farm town to blow through her head.

Lana tried to catch Claire's eye. If Lana knew her friend, and she did, she figured Claire wondered what role she took. Lana thought about it, and hoped to support Claire every step of the way.

"Someone is going to have to," Lana said. "But, I'm sure whoever it is, they're not going to lack help."

"The bad guys have plenty of help though," Chloe said.

Lana and Claire stared at Chloe. Chloe folded her arms and didn't really say much of anything. She didn't want to upset them, for raining on their parade and it was a hell of a parade to rain on for obvious reasons.

"The bad guys might have their help, but so do the good guys," Claire said.

"What, do you think they're going to form some kind of club of super friends?" Chloe asked. She paused and broke out into a wide ear to in grin. "Hmm, super friends, now there's an idea?"

"What's an idea?"

Kara and Alia turned up. Chloe almost jumped halfway up into the air. Lana stopped herself from doing so. Claire hung her head forward and started to break out into a bad series of giggles.

"Must you sneak up on people?" Chloe asked.

Claire broke out into a greater fit of laughter. She tried to use her fist to block her mouth, but the laughter continued for a second.

"It wouldn't be Alia if she didn't give at least one person a heart attack," Kara said. "So, are the three of you staying out of trouble?"

Chloe's lips curled into a momentary grin. Claire ducked her head and started to laugh.

Lana decided to answer for the two girls who couldn't keep a straight face. Her exasperated expression cased the other two girls to break out in a fretful round of laughter again.

"Well, I don't think we could get in too much trouble," Lana said. "Even if Donna had to leave town, I'm sure you have plenty of people here who are going to keep an eye on us."

"Oh, you do like to keep an eye on young girls, don't you?" Chloe asked.

Kara's gaze locked onto the younger blonde.

"Always keeping a look out for future talent," Kara said. "We might look you up in a couple of years to join the group. If you stay out of trouble."

"Oh, you just had to really make it hard, haven't you?" Chloe asked. "Well, since I'm in Smallville, it's going to be much harder to stay out of trouble."

"I'm sure the three of you are just going to have to do your best. But, you're right about one thing, There's a lot of weirdness happening in Smallville."

Chloe placed her hand underneath her chin and nodded at Alia's words.

"Someone should really chronicle all of the weirdness in Smallville," Chloe said. "You know, having all of the information about everything might come in handy."

"Hmm, interesting," Alia said. "Well, I'm sure if someone decides to chronicle it, they shouldn't go too far into the weirdness."

'_Are you encouraging her?' _Diana asked.

'_Really giving her a warning,' _Alia thought. _'She's going to do it anyway. I know the look, you know the look.'_

'_Yes, you and Donna do it all of the time,' _Diana said. _'Well more so when you were younger.'_

'_And you were perfect, weren't you?' _Donna asked.

'_Gabi pulls it off often as well,' _Fleur said. _'And she's getting really insufferable.'_

'_Well, good things come to those who wait,' _Alia thought. _'Did you get back at her about teasing her about the delayed puberty?'_

'_What do you think?' _Fleur asked.

'_Oh, you're getting revenge on her,' _Kara thought. _'Naughty girl.'_

'_Thanks, I do try,' _Fleur thought.

Kara leaned over to Claire. Claire frowned and Kara escorted her off of the side. Alia stayed to chat with Lana and Chloe.

"So, you're going through some weird periods with your powers?" Kara asked.

"Do, we even go through periods?" Claire asked.

"Kind of, but not in the human sense," Kara said. "I'll explain it to you, but you might not want to eat before I do."

"I see," Claire said. "A lot of people talk about how powers are like the onset of puberty."

Kara couldn't really argue. People become weirded out because of how their body changes. What weirded out people more than dealing with powers they could barely control?

"I'll teach you, Claire," Kara said. "I'll teach you all about your powers, and how to use them."

"Would you really?" Claire asked. "It seems like I have a great destiny."

"Destiny isn't something you should worry about," Kara said. "I won't deny you have the potential for some great things, but regardless, the choice is yours."

Kara understood Claire might have had a lot of pressure on her once she hit a certain age. She hoped to ease up the burden.

'_Helps a little bit she'll have a group of willing allies,' _Alia thought.

'_It does help,' _Kara thought.

* * *

The trip to the island turned out to be good for the extended Evans family. Rose raised her eyebrow in amusement as the twins bounced up and down in barely suppressed glee, talking about what happened on the island.

"I can't believe it," Amanda said. "Everything was so cool, so amazing, I don't even know what else to say."

"Well, we're going to have to go back, several times," Emily said.

"Oh, if the two of you are good, I'm sure we can take a return trip to the island," Lily said. "We've barely scratched the surface of your training, I think."

"For some reason, Alia hinted the real training is going to begin when we hit eleven," Amanda said. "I don't know why."

Lily and Rose smiled. With the magical maturation process, both of them knew why. Granted, the real fun didn't take place until the point where they hit the second maturation process, which coincided with their second maturity.

"Well, what about when we turn fourteen?" Emily asked.

"Oh, the ascension ceremony, it's going to be really fun," Amanda said. "Cassie was smiling after the ceremony. I don't know why, she could barely walk."

Lily bent over for a second.

"Well, she put in a good performance, and made Alia break a sweat," Lily said. "You know very few people were able to hold their own against Alia. Only Artemis, Hippolyta, and Diana."

"And maybe one day she can be the greatest warrior who ever lived," Amanda said.

"Well, if you train and work hard towards it, anything is possible."

The twins gave a solid eep as Alia turned up.

"I'm doing that a lot today, don't worry."

"For the record, this time, I saw you coming out of the corner of my eye," Lily said.

She crossed the room and wrapped her arms around her daughter. Alia smiled as she looked up into her mother's face.

"So, what did the two of you think of Themyscira?"

Rose waited for a second for the floodgates to open. The twins broke out into an excited, rapid fire stream of twin babble, tripping over each other in an attempt to tell Alia precisely what they thought about their trip on the island.

'_So, do you understand a word they're saying?' _Donna asked.

'_Some of it,' _Alia said. She received her share of stares through the bond. She sighed and amended her statements. _'A little of it.'_

'_Good, glad one of us does,' _Kara thought.

The twins lost a little bit of steam, finally slowing down the hyperactive exchange long enough for them to calm down.

"So, it's going to be so good, and sure, we got knocked on our butts a lot, but….it was still fun….."

"Really, fun, we can't wait to go back…"

"And I can't believe we have seven years to wait for our ascension ceremony…"

"We will have one of those, won't we Alia?"

Alia smirked. The twins most certainly would get the honor.

"Keep working hard, and you will," Alia said. "Train hard and more importantly keep up with your studies."

"Yes, a strong mind works in tandem with a stronger body," Lily said.

The twins smiled at their mother's thoughts.

"So, has everything been going fine here?" Alia asked.

"Business as usual," Rose said. "Some of the new recruits have been promising, but they're a little bit haughty."

Lily leaned in towards Alia. A smile appeared on the woman's face. Her fingers pushed through Alia's hair.

"You know you're going to have to show them the ropes and potentially break them in."

Lily left no room for interpretation with her words. She smiled.

'_Yes, I'm certain Alia will be a good help in keeping the new recruits under foot,' _Emma thought. _'And one of the elements the Hellfire Club sought, the Phoenix Force, may be one of our prime operatives. Or at least a very valued associate. I doubted very much I would ever say the day where this would happen.'_

'_Oh, you should believe you would,' _Alia thought. A smirk flooded over her face.

'_Well, we can come to an understanding,' _Hope said. _'My problems with the Hellfire Club existed under previous management.'_

'_Management I can assure you has been eliminated,' _Alia thought.

'_And we're going to build a brand new glorious future,' _Jaime thought. _'Sorry, I can't be there, for the extended Evans girls get together.'_

'_Don't worry, you're enjoying your time on vacation with Karen,' _Alia thought. _'After being trapped in someone else's mind, you deserve it more than anyone else I know.'_

'_Well, one could argue you deserve a proper vacation more,' _Jaime thought. _'But, the world is about to change….lot of heroes coming up.'_

'_Oh, we've been down the hero road before, haven't we?' _Karen thought.

'_Yes, we have,' _Jaime thought. _'Are you going to dust off the old outfit?'_

'_Given how much it matured, I don't think it would fit me,' _Karen thought. _'Plus Supergirl sounds like such a cheesy name.'_

'_I don't know, I kind of like it,' _Kara said.

'_You can have it, if you really want it,' _Karen thought. _'Speaking of which Alia, do you have a codename?'_

'_No, and I don't want one,' _Alia said.

'_Well, you're a bit beneath the spotlight,' _Diana thought. _'Hopefully, the press doesn't give you some lame moniker which sticks.'_

'_Well, I'd call you the Huntress, because you remind me of another friend of ours from Earth-Two, who got last in the translation,' _Jaime said. _'Because, she used the name Huntress.'_

'_Not bad, but I think the name Fury suits her as well,' _Karen thought. _'Or maybe…Nightwing, with all of the dragon talk.'_

'_Not bad, but I don't know, something about having a code name is…..'_

'_Weird?' _Donna asked.

'_To be fair, I didn't come up with the Spider-Girl name,' _Gwen thought. _'Someone yelled it out when I saved them, and there you go, it stuck. Not sure what other name I would approve.'_

Alia smiled.

"Gabi really is getting on my nerves," Amanda said. "She's complaining about how she isn't getting ugly fast enough."

"Who complains about not getting ugly?" Emily asked.

Alia leaned to her twin sisters.

"I'll explain to both of you when you get older."

* * *

Thea returned to a Penthouse across town she purchased with the money she earned working at the law office. She entered it, making sure to slip out of what she wore, and make her way into a bathrobe.

"So, long nights so far, Thea?"

Thea blinked and she noticed Alia sitting on the couch. She already made a cup of coffee for both of them.

"Hey, Alia, I didn't think you were stopping by," Thea said. "I did give you a key, but….didn't think you would be by tonight."

"Wanted to check up on you, see how you were doing," Alia said. She patted a spot on the couch and Thea sat down.

Thea wondered if Alia figured out what she did during her nights. The Queen heiress figured alia would have figured out what had been happening during some pretty long nights. Alia ended up being too smart for her own good at times, as far as Thea knew.

Thea smiled, wasn't exactly a complaint, more like a compliment of some kind. Regardless, she settled down on the couch next to Alia.

"I'm doing well, thanks for asking," Thea said. "Sara was by a few times to help me brush up on some of her skills. And she told me if I train well enough, she might reward me."

'_Well, I think I put my sight on the wrong Queen,' _Sara thought.

'_I think you did,' _Laurel thought. _'I think we both did…..so how is everything going with the revamped League?'_

'_Nyssa is working hard, but I'm making sure she's not getting too stressed,' _Sara thought. _'If you catch my drift.'_

'_The same thing I do with Barbara when she immerses herself into her studies a bit too much?' _Laurel asked.

'_Precisely,' _Sara thought.

Thea leaned back and started to sip on a cup of coffee.

"Thanks for the present you gave me, by the way," Thea said.

"Hey, you're very welcome, you deserve it," Alia said.

Thea thought for a moment she would kiss her and take her on the couch. And Thea would allow it to be honest. She would allow Alia to take her in any way possible, if she allowed so.

The Queen heiress shifted for a moment. It had been a long night and she had some frustrations to be honest. Her nipples hardening beneath her shirt didn't help with her thoughts.

"You seem pretty tense tonight," Alia said.

"Well, it's been a long night," Thea said. "Had a couple of hostile clients at Ms. Milton's life office."

Alia almost shuddered. She hated to think what Circe did to people who were belligerent at her law office.

'_Is it just me, or do you have a bad feeling some pigs are going to be running around?' _Donna thought.

'_It's not just you,' _Diana thought.

'_You know, I'd much rather not raise Circe's ire,' _Felicity said. _'The last thing I want to be doing is rolling around in a pit of mud and not in a good way….and all of the myths about her are true.'_

'_If anything, they're understated,' _Diana thought.

"There's a lot going on," Alia said. "There's a mysterious woman in a hood running around and putting arrows in the scum in the city."

Thea tried not to break her stoic demeanor. Alia's gaze burned into her for several seconds.

"A world class archer putting arrows in people," Alia said. "Whoever he is, might be a prodigy."

"Or she," Thea said.

"Or she," Alia said. "Well, the city is becoming a cesspool. There's a lot of people who are failing this city, aren't there?"

"Yes, a few," Thea said.

Some of them being some of her mother's business contacts, who were involved in something shady, which might be tied into the Queen's Gambit going down, but Thea would sort all of the information out, when she sorted them out.

"Well, if I run into her, I'll tell her to keep up the noble work," Alia said. "She's fighting with a spirit of a true warrior."

Thea twitched at Alia almost closing in on her. From this position, her hard nipples became even more visible than ever before.

"And she's doing some noble work out there, believe me. Just be careful, because the people she's fighting are equally dangerous."

"Yes, pretty dangerous," Thea said.

Alia swooped in and planted a kiss on Thea's lips. The Queen heiress found herself left spellbound and in a desperate need of a change of panties.

Also, the warrior princess disappeared, which left her rather frustrated.

'_I need a shower.'_

* * *

Diana stretched her legs out. Everything went full circle in life eventually. She prepared to battle on the eve of Alia's third maturity.

The Ascension ceremony which kicked off her second maturity lingered fresh in Diana's mind. The Amazon Princess's lips shifted into a knowing smile. She leaned back to wait for Alia to turn up.

Alia approached the scene, determined and ready to fight. Diana backed off to allow Alia a sufficient amount of room to step into the picture.

"This looks familiar," Diana said.

"Yes," Alia said. "Only I've been through a lot in the past year."

"Seems like even longer for some reason," Diana said. "Guess, it's just how life goes by sometimes."

Alia didn't want to say anything, but with Limbo, the time passed even longer. Ginny and Illyana flourished after their trip through limbo. As for Ananym, she ruled things with an even hand and Limbo looked to be a bit better spirits.

'_Won't stop me from showing up and making sure she stays in line. I wouldn't want her to step too far out of bounds to be honest.'_

Regardless, Alia stepped into a secluded area of the island, along with Diana. Unlike the Ascension ceremony dual, this part of Themyscira didn't really have too many Amazons coming by it. Every now and then, the odd Amazon appeared to train in seclusion, but most of the people left it alone.

Diana went here a lot when she was younger, before Donna was born and Alia came to the island, because she wanted to be left alone with her thoughts. Or, because the princess wanted to skip her lessons.

Granted, Diana wouldn't admit the second reason out loud. No matter how clever she thought herself to be, Artemis and Hippolyta stepped ahead of her. Diana's plans fell by the wayside with every attempt for her to do something.

Couldn't really get away with anything, and believe her, Diana tried to get away with a whole lot.

"Nice place here," Alia said.

"It's a secluded spot, we shouldn't have any prying eyes here," Diana said. "We even shut the bond link down, this is between you and me. I really want to see how far you've come in your training."

Alia worked in some new techniques through her sparring sessions with Nyssa and Sara. She hoped these techniques would be more than enough for her to be a match with Diana.

"Some time ago on this island, you stood here, a girl, and you stand before me, almost a woman," Diana said. "And can you believe I was upset I didn't make you a woman?"

"You had some tension with Kara," Alia said.

"Yes, I know, and I acted like a bitch because of it," Diana said. "In reality, I'm no better than Aresia ended up being."

"I wouldn't say you're as bad as Aresia," Alia said. "But, you do have your moments where you're not as perfect as everyone likes to say you are."

"One might argue I'm really not perfect at all," Diana said.

"Maybe you aren't," Alia said. "But, regardless, it's now me and you, in battle with each other. To see if I can beat you this time."

"I won't be holding back," Diana said.

"Oh, and I won't be holding back either," Alia said. "And if I ever got a hint you were holding back, I would kick your ass twice as hard. And your ass belongs to me, any way you look at it."

Diana ignored the attempt to get inside her head. The Amazon prepared to step towards her sister. The young woman stood at the ready, about ready to attack Alia.

"So, are you ready?" Diana asked.

"I was born ready," Alia said. "I think you might be in for a couple of surprises today."

Tomorrow, Alia reached third maturity. The invitation to Olympus rang in her mind, and she wanted to accept it.

"Oh?" Diana asked. "Indulge me."

Alia extended her arm out and the two Amazons charged each other in combat. The swords connected together.

The two Amazons fought fiercely, with a combination of sword play and hand to hand combat. Both pushed each other to their limits in a rapid fire fashion.

The winner would be decided between just the two of them and kept between just the two of them.

* * *

**The End(Well if you're reading the censored version. There's an extra spicy bonus chapter too hot for Dot Net). **


End file.
